Unexpected Blessing
by Vamplady123
Summary: Cont. of BD. After a trip back to his hometown, Edward brings home some really bad news that could potentially ruin his wonderful marriage with Bella and his relationship with Nessie. As they put the pieces back together from this century-old mystery, will they let this news tear them apart? Would they see this unexpected news as a blessing...or a curse?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First of all, I want to just say thank you for taking the time to read this.**

**Hopefully, you stop by and read my other story as well.**

**Reviews are highly appreciated so I know what you all think of this…**

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**Chapter 1: Bad News**

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**-Forks**

**(BPOV)**

"Where's daddy, momma? He said he was gonna be here by the night?" Renesmee whined while chewing on her teddy bear's ear frustratedly.

I sighed as she asked the same question for the _millionth_ time. "I know, honey. I miss him too. But he'll be here soon. I promise," I said reassuringly.

Normally, my usually angelic child would've taken that answer and just calm down.

But since luck was against me, she didn't.

"But momma! I wanna see him…now! When's he gonna go home? He promised!"

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen! You will not talk to me that way. Please calm down, sweet girl. Let's just read you your bed time story and call it a night, okay? He'll be here tomorrow," I tried to soothe her, running my hands through her bronze curls.

"No. I want _daddy _to read to me. And if he's not going to…then I'll read by _myself_." With that, she stomped her way to her room.

I heaved another frustrated sigh and followed her. I watched as she tried to drag the stool so she could read her Beauty and the Beast book. It was stacked with all of the other fairytales Edward insisted that she have on the third shelf; a shelf too high for her to reach.

I saw her struggle some more before I finally took the stool from her and easily carried it in front of her massive book collection. It ranged from all of the Disney Princesses story books, to pop up books, to the infamous Pigeon series, and other fun kid books.

I lifted her up by the waist and held on to her as she stood on her tiptoes to reach it.

If she was anything like me, she'd have hated it for someone to "baby" her…especially when she was "angry"…or as angry as a two and a half year old could be.

I laid her down gently on the bed with her book; kissed her goodnight and headed to our bedroom.

But just as I was about to step out, she rushed out and hugged my waist and snuggled her face in my stomach. "I'm sorry for being ugly to you, mommy. I just miss daddy so much. Will you please read to me?"

She looked up at me then with her innocent wide brown eyes and quivered her lower lip.

I kneeled down so we were closer to being eye-level and hugged her. "Of course, sweetie. But you shouldn't talk to adults like that, you know better. But thank you for doing the responsible thing and apologizing."

She grinned at me. She _loved_ it when she was called "responsible". My baby was growing up way _too_ fast.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards her four-poster bed –courtesy of none other than her doting father. She climbed on the little built in stool to get on her high bed. She pushed away the pink glittery curtain and got in. I took off my shoes and followed her. She twined our hands together and took my other arm and wrapped it around her. She laid out her favorite book, Beauty and the Beast, in between us and looked at me.

Our girl may only be two and a half but she knows what she wants and can be a little sassy when crossed. I pushed some stray curls off of her face and started reading out loud.

She _loved_ Beauty and the Beast the most because she loved the idea of loving someone not based on their looks, but on what's "inside". It was times like these that Edward would remind me that she was so much like me.

I never believed him, but I was pleased at the compliment anyways. Besides her eyes and button nose, Renesmee was all Edward. From her hair bronze hair color, to her crooked smile, to her love of music, she was a daddy's girl through and through.

Before I even got to the part of introducing Chip, the teacup, she was already lightly snoring on my shoulder. I tried to take my arm off; but, she just held on tighter and snuggled against my chest.

Another thing we have in common? We didn't care about body temperature. She could easily snuggle with the rest of the Cullens for hours even with their cold stone like body.

I sighed and closed the book quietly. I was thankful that this day went by better than I thought it would.

Renesmee was in her terrible twos and threes stage. She wasn't exactly _terrible_; but, on some days I'd think otherwise.

The first time it happened, she actually just threw a small tantrum at Edward for hunting while she was asleep. She woke up one morning, had a nightmare about Edward getting taken by the "Cape Guys", or otherwise known as the Volturi, and wanted to see him.

_Edward was out hunting nearby and would be back in a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, it was still too many minutes away from him. She started crying uncontrollably and demanded for her daddy. I didn't know what to do so I rushed to the main house so at least someone could help me calm her down. _

_No one, not even Jasper, could do so. Em tried making funny faces at her –which usually cheered her up- and even that didn't help. Rose was trying to brush her hair and Alice was trying to show her a Vogue magazine since Renesmee loved dressing up. But even that didn't work._

_Luckily, a couple of minutes later Edward came. He rushed to us, with his butterscotch eyes and slightly flushed cheeks and asked us what's wrong._

_"Love, what's wrong? I came back from hunting and back to the cottage and I found no one there. Luckily, your scents were still fresh so I followed it. Did something happen?"_

_I shook my head and just looked down at the crying child snuggled in my chest._

_Like the sweet father he was, Edward took her from my arms and into his. "Renesmee, sweet girl, what happened? Why are you crying, sweetie?" He brushed the tears off his daughter's face while staring at everyone helplessly._

_Edward hated nothing more than seeing his daughter in pain and not knowing what to do._

_Renesmee just cried harder and clasped her little arms around his neck. "Daddy! I thought you left me! I had a dream that you were taked by the bad guys and you left me and mommy all alone. I'm sorry if I was bad…just please don't leave. I'll eat my vegetabables just don't leave me! I'm sorry if I was bad…I'll be good. I promise."_

_She continued sobbing into his neck. He looked up and met my eyes. He knew what she was talking about. The night before she had the bad dream, Edward asked her to at least try broccoli for the first time._

…

_It was dinner time and while Renesmee ate human food, she still hated vegetables. As parents, we felt it was our job to at least ensure that she ate something healthy. Unfortunately, when she was in her tantrum mood, it was Edward who asked her to try broccoli. _

_She continuously ignored him and ate her mashed potatoes and chicken in silence. He then tried to coax her into eating it; but all she did was chuck the broccoli at his face and stomp into her room._

_I had to read her bedtime story alone, something I've never done since the Volturi attacked. It was always me and Edward who read to her. Tonight it was just me._

_After reading her "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy" three times and making the appropriate sounds, I kissed her goodnight._

_I went to the living room and found Edward hunched over with his head in his hands._

_"I'm a terrible father. I forced her to eat something she didn't want."_

_I just giggled and ran my hands through his soft hair. "You're not a terrible father, Edward. You're a__** terrific **__father. Sooner or later she has to accept the fact that we're the parents and she's the kid. Yes, it's okay to give her stuff and spoil her from time to time; but at some point, it has to stop. This is why I tell you to not spoil her so much or bend down to her every order because she'll think it's okay to throw a tantrum every time she doesn't get her way."_

_Just as the thought of not giving her anything and everything she wanted sunk in, Edward opened his mouth to object. But I wasn't having any of it._

_I placed two fingers on his mouth and shushed him. "I'm not telling you to be the bad guy here. I'm just telling you to be more balanced. You can be a parent to her without having her disrespect you. You can give her everything she wants, just as long as it's understandable and as long she understands her place."_

_He just nodded, but I could still read his face and know that he still felt guilty._

_"Besides, Edward, you heard what Carlisle said. She may be a hybrid –half vampire and half human- but she's still a two year old. __**Every**__ two year olds go through changes in moods like these. It's perfectly normal for someone her age to throw tantrums over something usually inconsequential. That's just how life is. But when she's over her terrible twos and threes stage, she'll be back to her angelic self."_

_And just like that, his troubled eyes cleared and his smile was firmly back in place. _

_I stroked the purple shadows under his eyes while he snuggled closer to my hand. "I think it's the perfect time to hunt, honey. She won't be awake until morning. By then, she'll have forgotten all about your fight."_

_He looked at me with torn eyes and was about to object. "Think about it this way, if you hunt now, you won't have to hunt tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be back to being Daddy's little Princess by then. Would you want to leave her and hunt when you guys have made up?"_

_Just as I whispered the last words, I knew I had him._

_I walked him out of the cottage and gave him a lingering kiss. "See you later. Catch a deer or two for me," I winked playfully._

_He just rolled his eyes and kissed my temple goodbye._

…

_"Oh, baby, you know daddy's not mad at you for that. It was bad that you threw food at me, but I forgive you. I'm not leaving you or mommy ever." He pulled back and smoothed her hair away._

_After that, she was glued back to his side like a band-aid. I didn't know who was happier: Renesmee being with her father again or Edward having his princess back._

But I'm glad things were easier today because Edward left last night on what he said was only going to be a "short trip" to Chicago to take care of some financial issues about his human house there.

Renesmee woke up this morning asking for her daddy, but knew better than to start crying again; she knew how much her daddy loved her.

I explained to her about his trip to Chicago with Carlisle and told her they'd be back by tonight, tomorrow afternoon the latest.

Luckily, she took this better than I thought she would. She was nice and calm all day except her mini tantrum over the bedtime story.

As I left her room and turned on her nightlight, one thought came to mind.

_I hope Edward comes back. I don't think I can survive another "where's daddy?" tantrum alone._

**-xXx-**

**(5 hours later)**

Just as I was finishing getting dressed up after my shower, my phone rang. It was two in the morning so I knew it wasn't Jacob or Charlie or any other human because they'd be sleeping. So it was probably one of the Cullens.

I looked at the caller I.D. and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Edward's name come up. I flipped my phone open and couldn't stop the goofy smile from spreading on my face. "Hey, hon. How's Chicago?"

I heard him release a sigh which sounded strangely…nervous?

"Bella, love, thank you for answering. I'm so sorry that I'm not there yet. This…meeting is just taking longer than I thought it would. But I'll be there by morning. How's Renesmee?" Usually, his tone would lift a bit more and pride would twinge his voice when talking about his daughter; but right now, he just sounded sad and timid.

"She's okay. Had a little bit of tantrum when it came to bed time because she was missing you. But it's all settled now. She'll be so excited to see you tomorrow."

I heard Carlisle call Edward over and decided that maybe I should call him later; I might be interrupting his meeting.

"I think Carlisle needs you Edward. I'll just call you later, okay? I don't want to interrupt your meeting. I love you."

"Love, you don't have to hang up and besides you're not interrupting anything. And if you were, I don't care. You and Renesmee are more important to me than some boring meeting," he scolded me lightly.

"Alright, Mr. Cheesy. I gotta go anyway…have to finish dressing up."

I heard his groan from the phone and the faint sound of him adjusting himself. "You'll pay for that later, Mrs. Cullen. But no worries, Carlisle and I will just take a cab from the airport. That way, you don't have to pick us up. I love you, too. Kiss Renesmee goodnight for me."

I told him I loved him one last time and before I hung up, I could've sworn he said something along the lines of "I really still hope you do later". But before I could ask him what he meant, he already hung up.

I'll just ask him later.

**-xXx-**

**(7a.m.)**

"Is he here yet?" Renesmee asked for the millionth time while rolling on the balls of her tiny feet.

"Not yet, sweetheart. Don't worry, daddy will be here any minute," I said while laughing at my daughter's obviously sleepy yet hyper state.

She woke up at six in the morning; two hours earlier than her usually wake up time, just to greet her "daddy welcome home".

She was still dressed in her footie pajamas with hearts all over it while sipping water from her sippie cup. She grabbed my leg and tugged on my pants.

"Mommy, is he here _now?"_

I shook my head at her and I could see her shoulder drooping in disappointment. She wasn't tall enough to reach the windows so she had to repeatedly ask me if I could see the car.

After a couple more sips of water, she looked up at me. "I gotta go pee-pee mommy. But stay here, okay? Don't want daddy to think we left him," she said sternly then scampered off to the bathroom.

I knew that she was going to end up using the smaller toilet bowl we had installed for her because she was too short to get on the regular one without help.

But if she used the little stool to get on top of the regular sized toilet bowl, she still won't be able to flush it…she had trouble flushing the toilet without someone else helping her push the button down.

If you haven't already noticed, we had stools _everywhere_. In the kitchen so she could reach some of the food that was located in the top shelf of the fridge; one in the living room so she could look at the DVDs properly without having to get on anyone's shoulders; her bedroom to reach her other books; the bathroom so she could brush her teeth.

My baby liked being independent…she was just too short to do things on her own.

When I heard the water running on the sink so she could wash her hands and not the sound of the flushing toilet, it confirmed my suspicion at her wanting to not use the "kiddie potty".

She grabbed her sippy cup and stood by me again. "Is daddy here n-?"

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Edward's footsteps. Her eyes grew comically wide on her small heart-shaped face before taking my hand and dragging me out.

She dropped her sippy cup and leaped into his arms, acting as if they haven't seen each other in weeks, rather than just last night.

Edward crouched down and wrapped her in his arms. "My baby! I've missed you so much. Were you good to mommy?"

She nodded her head, tendrils of hair slipping from the braid I just arranged her hair in.

I just laughed at eagerness, picked up her strayed sippie cup and joined them. "Don't I get a hug, too? I've missed you too."

Edward just chuckled at my mock pout and hugged both Nessie and I close.

"I've missed my two girls. How about we go to the main house, huh? I know you guys were just here at the cottage the whole time I was away." He pulled back and I could clearly see the nervousness in his face.

I stroked his cheek. "What's wrong, Edward? Why do you look so nervous?"

He just shook his head and muttered a "later" for my ears only.

We didn't bother changing Nessie from her pajamas since we knew she'd just sleep again over there, since her sleep was cut short, or Alice and Rose would've just dressed her up.

Renesmee was like their living and breathing real-life doll.

**-xXx-**

"Aunt Rosie, Aunt Ali, Unca Emmie, Unca Jazzie, Grampa, Gramma…we're here!"

Impossible as it may seem, Nessie was just like her Aunt Alice at some point. She felt the need to yell to get everyone's attention…not that anyone ever didn't give it to her.

I just stroked her hair –which ended up feeling weird since her face was buried in Edward's chest- and told her to be quiet.

"Nessie, baby, don't yell, okay? We don't want to disrupt them," I scolded her gently.

She mumbled a half-hearted "sorry" but knocked quietly.

Before she even had the chance to knock twice, the rest of the Cullen women were already there, their husbands standing behind them with amused smiles.

Nessie was passed from each set of arms to the next; until she ended up sprawled on the floor with Alice reading a fashion magazine, with Rose brushing her hair, and Esme painting a picture of them.

Everyone looked relaxed and was just hanging in the house. Although on more than one occasion, I saw Carlisle look at Edward worriedly from the corner of his eye. It seemed like he asked a question every time because Edward just shook his head, the nervous expression back on his face.

I was just about to ask him what was wrong when he pulled me aside.

He took a deep breath. "Bella, love, can we take a walk. I need to tell you…something."

He looked at me pleadingly so I just nodded. I knew it wasn't going to be good news. I looked at Nessie and asked him with my eyes what would happen to her.

"Don't worry. The rest of the family will stay with her. I just have to tell you something important."

I nodded for him to lead the way. He grabbed my hand tightly and together, we ran to a part of the forest I've never been to before.

It's only been a couple of weeks since the Volturi's visit and barely even a month yet since we lived in our cottage. It's safe it to say that I haven't had the chance to fully explore our surroundings, counting the huge forest that was practically ours since it was so far off into the wilderness.

It wasn't much of a walk because I could still see the faint silhouette of our cottage, when Edward came to a halt.

I looked at him expectantly. When he remained silent, I decided to ask him what was wrong. "Edward? Are you okay? You seem a little…out of it. Something wrong?"

Edward's eyes met mine and I could clearly see the nervousness in his eyes. He inhaled deeply while staring at me guiltily.

His facial expression changed from guilty to nervous to determined.

"Bella, love, before I say what I need to say, I just want to tell you that I love _you…only you._ This was all a mistake…mistake…mistake," he kept murmuring while running his hands through his hair, a tell-tale sign of his frustration.

"Honey, just say it before you end up tearing all of your hair out. I love you too."

I moved to take a step to them to him, but he just put a hand up to stop me. "Please, I know after I tell you, you'll want to be as far away from as possible. Or at least I hope not…"

I just nodded and kept my distance.

"Bella…when I went to Chicago with Carlisle, I said I was there to take care of financial issues about my old human property there. That's partly true, but not completely."

I nodded to tell him to continue, I needed to know what was causing him so much trouble.

"Well, when I was there for the yearly check up, the realtors said that the house _technically_ wasn't fully mine."

At my confused expression, he rushed to continue on.

"Since the house was built a long time ago, it is considered a part of history. The realtors said that a house that old wasn't just meant to be sold to a random customer. Considering that the house was more than centuries old, they didn't know who to give it to. I couldn't just pretend to be Edward Anthony Masen because he supposedly 'died at 17 due to the Spanish Influenza'. A historic house like that would automatically be inherited by the owner's relatives. Whether it might be the owner's son or a nephew/niece they've never met, their house would automatically be theirs."

"Okay…so what? You just buy it again? If you don't, who will? You were an only child and so were your father and mother so it's safe to say you don't have any cousins or any other relatives. Besides, if you did have any relatives, wouldn't they have died due to the influenza?"

If he was nervous _then,_ he was definitely nervous _now. "_That's what I need to explain to you. The realtors said that someone named Anthony Collins was the only living relative of Edward Masen Sr., my father."

I stared blankly at him. "What? So, he's like your distant cousin? If he's really old, then he's your brother? That's great!"

He just shook his head. "No, Bella. Anthony Collins is my _son."_

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**A/N: So you guys interested?**

**Leave a comment/review if you have any questions or comments. If you're interested on being my beta, PM me. I'm desperate need of one!**


	2. Diaries and Handcuffs

**A/N: I won't bore you guys with a huge note…just read and review!**

**I'm still looking for a beta, so if you're up for it, PM me or leave a review.**

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**Chapter 2: Diaries and Handcuffs**

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**(BPOV)**

"You're son? As in _you're _the _biological_ father? Wha…? How is that possible?"

He swallowed. "Yes. In 1918, my father and mother arranged me to be wed to a girl named Susannah Stanford. She was the daughter of a successful Chicago Lawyer. Her father worked at the same law firm my father did; and her mother was close friends with mine."

Could it be possible for vampires to hear crazy things? I thought that he would never lie to me again?

"Wait-so you were engaged? Like put-a-ring-on-her-finger-and call-her-your fiancée engaged? Did you guys end up getting married or just engaged?" I forced the words out, dreading the worst.

"No! We weren't married. Before I could even walk, I knew I wanted to serve our country and fight in the war. My parents disagreed with me and set up an arranged engagement to keep me home. But the influenza hit me before Susannah and I continued the marital proposal. _You_ are my wife…the _only_ wife I want. No one else."

I looked at him and couldn't say anything. I just nodded and forced the words out, "So? If you weren't married how come you have a son? What?! You had _sex?" _I spat the last word out with as much venom as I could.

"NO! Well...I don't know. But what I do know is that I love _you…only you!_ Please believe me. I had –and still have- no idea what happened. I'm not even sure if this is true…"

Try as I might, I couldn't listen to him. I knew that Edward loved _me,_ but I couldn't stop imagining how someone _else_ touched him _before_ me. Had the chance to taste him, touch him, and kiss him before _me._

The worst part? The part that stung the most? They weren't even married.

"What? You can't make this kind of thing up! So you weren't even _married_ and you had sex with her? But me…what did _I _do? I had to wait…wait for you, wait till we were married, wait so we could do the right thing in your eyes. That's all I did! _WAIT!_"

"No, please Bella, it's not like that. I love you…it's ju-"he pleaded with me.

"It is exactly like that! How many times did I ask -_beg_- you to ease up your control a bit? But what about _her,_ huh? I bet you _she_ never had to _wait._ I did. I begged and begged, but you still wouldn't crack. But with her, your human _fiancée, _you didn't even resist and reject her! What, was I not pretty enough for you to have sex with without getting married first? Did you use your 'no premarital sex' as an excuse to not have sex with me? Was I that _disgusting_ to you when I was a human? You couldn't even stomach having sex with me?" I spat, turning around to get away from him.

He rushed and grabbed my hand, grasping it tightly. "Please wait, Bella. I may not know what fully happened, but I know that I _never_ loved her. Not like I love _you."_

I paused. "What do you mean you don't know what happened? Didn't the realtors talk to you in Chicago? If they said that you have a son, or at least Edward Sr. has a grandson, wouldn't they have evidence?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. "They did. But I didn't want to see it…"

I turned around to ask him what he meant.

"They did have evidence: her diary, birth certificates, and other things and documents. But I didn't want to see it because this concerns you too…or at least I hope it does."

I swallowed and tried to process what he was saying. I knew he loved me…it was just hard to process the _then_ and _now._

It was hard knowing that on our honeymoon, when I thought that I was the first one to ever touch him in such an intimate way, _she_ had the chance before me.

I gasped in realization. "You weren't a _virgin_! You promised me you were. She took something that was supposed to mine. Something that was supposed to be _ours."_ With that, I crumbled and sobbed. I dropped gracefully on the forest floor, leaned back on a tree, wrapped my arms around my torso and cried.

He took a small step towards me and lightly touched my shoulder. "No, Bella. I was a vi-"

I flinched and pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me."

He took away his hand and sat at the stump in front of me, leaving a little bit of space between us.

He didn't say anything and just let me cry my heart out. So I did.

I cried at the idea that _she_ was his _first kiss_…they must've kissed right?

I cried at the idea she was his _first fiancée_, the first woman he put a ring on and proposed to…

I cried at the idea that _she _was the _first _and only woman Edward's parents approved of and wanted for him…

I cried at the idea that _she_ gave him his _first child_ ; a son…didn't having one during his human life bring great pride and honor?

I cried just at the idea that _she_ experienced every _'firsts'_ …that at every monumental stage of our relationship, I came in _second._

**-xXx-**

I didn't know how long I sat there and cried but I did know that it was hours before I even came close to stopping. We came here when the sun was barely up, but now it was shining at its brightest.

I cleared my throat and looked at Edward. He was sitting at the tree stump, back hunched, and his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. I guess I wasn't the only one who felt the need to cry.

As if he could sense me staring at him, he looked up. It was easy to see that he was struggling inside; his eyes were the blackest onyx I've ever seen and were crying unshed tears.

"You should hunt. Your eyes are black," I blurted out with a raspy voice.

"I'll hunt later. Bella, love, I really am _so_ sorry. We could just forget about this. I'll just em-"

I held up a hand to stop him. "Edward, not right now. I feel like I just need time to…think, process, accept this. We'll talk about this, just not now. And besides I think you _really _need to hunt; vampires are nicer when they're not crabby and hungry, right?"

He smiled a faint smile and stood up. He walked over to me and held up a hand to stop me.

I shook my head at his offer. I knew that if I touched him right now, I would crumble and just leap into his arms. While the idea sounded nice, I knew that we needed to think and talk about this rationally. If we just hugged this out and made out, which I know would be come right after hugging him, this issue will just be brushed under the rug.

I looked up at his face and saw the remorse and guilt there. "I'm not saying that I never want to touch you, Edward. But I just need time to think about this. Even you can agree that this news is certainly…unexpected."

He just nodded. "I really am sorry for this, Bella. But maybe you're right. I should just hunt so you can…think. Give me a call when you're ready to talk and where."

He gave me one last lingering look full of longing before he dashed towards the forest.

I ran the opposite way before I had the chance to go after him.

**-xXx-**

I ran and ran until I reached my sanctuary. I sighed and sat on a rock nearby. I could hear the silent swish and flick of the fishes' tails as they swam in the small lake.

I discovered this place when I was just hunting nearby. It was only minutes away from the meadow so I figured I'd show it to Edward when the opportunity arises.

I considered sitting and thinking at the meadow, but changed my mind. I decided that if I was actually going to thoroughly think about this, and not Edward, I should do it in a place that was just solely me. I didn't want to taint the meadow; the next time I visit there, I don't want to be reminded of the thoughts about Susannah and this issue.

Just with one name, my focus was on her and on what Edward said.

He told me that he loved _me…_but had sex with her. Didn't he say that love _and_ lust went together for him? So, does that mean he loved her? Does he _still _love her?

When we kissed, did he close his eyes and ever imagined kissing _Susannah_?

When he proposed to _her,_ did she scream 'yes' over and over again like some girls do in movies? Or was she like me who was reluctant to accept his proposal, much less his mother's ring? Was I even the _only _woman who wore Edward's mother's ring? Did Susannah wear it before I did?

When we were on our honeymoon, did he compare sex with _me_ to sex with _her?_ When he spent time with _Renesmee_ does he somehow regret that she was a girl and not a boy like his son _Anthony?_

Over and over again these questions kept repeating in my head, insecurity and doubt creeping into me.

Was I not good enough compared to her?

Did Edward reject me just because she was better than me, prettier than me?

Does he love me less because I didn't give him his first child?

I knew I was being irrational. But, if you found out that your husband was engaged to someone else before you and had a child with them, I think you'd understand. Like I said…irrational.

Apparently my subconscious agreed with me.

_C'mon, Bella. The answers to those questions are all 'no'! Edward loves __**you…**__so don't revert back to being the insecure damsel in distress._

_Yeah…but how many times did he say he loved __**her**__, huh? He said it himself…love and lust is in the same company for him._

_But he was what…17? Instead of putting words in his mouth, talk and listen to him. This is just as hard at is for him as it is for you…_

I shook my head but wondered if my subconscious was right. I mean…who said that this wasn't hard for him as well? Isn't it harder for him because he's so easily prone to being guilty over the littlest things?

I could just picture him now… in a forest all alone most likely beating himself up for his former 17-year old's actions…tugging at his hair in frustration.

But instead of actually acting like a good wife, what did I do? I ran away from my problems and left him all alone, possibly fearing the worst.

With that, I took a shaky breath and reached for my phone.

I texted him and hoped that this was a good idea.

_10 minutes. Same forest near the cottage. _

**-xXx-**

"Bella," Edward breathed while planting his feet firmly on the ground. He dropped his hand from his hair and immediately stopped pacing.

I smiled timidly. "Hey."

We stared at each other and I couldn't remember any other time besides this that I ever felt awkward around him.

"I'm sorry," we both said at the same time.

We both released a small laugh, cutting the tension a little bit.

"Ladies first. But I don't really know why you're sorry." He smiled at me encouragingly.

"Well I just wanted to apologize for running away and not staying and solving the problem. Instead of talking like a married couple and acting like a good wife, I ran away when you needed me the most," I rushed out all in one breath.

Edward's shoulders practically sagged in relief when I still acknowledged the fact that I was still his wife and we were still married.

Was he actually afraid that I would divorce him for this without even talking about it thoroughly?

"No, love, you have nothing to apologize for. I found out about it before you and I had time to wrap my mind around it. I'm sorry if I sprung it out like that. I didn't really expect you to just accept it without wanting to have time alone," he assured me.

He lifted his arm as if he was going to hug me before dropping it. I took his hand, held it and walked over to him. I opened his arms and snuggled against his chest.

"I'm really sorry about leaving though; I didn't even think to ask how _you_ would feel or what _you_ were thinking. I guess I was just blinded by my own insecurity and doub-"

He just pulled me tight against his chest and said, "Shh…love. You have nothing to be sorry and insecure for. All of this blame is on me…only me. I love you _so_ much."

At the intensity of his words, I broke down and ended up crying against his chest. He just tucked my head under his chin and stroked my hair soothingly while rocking us back and forth.

After a couple of minutes, I quieted down.

He tilted my chin up and said, "So…what happens now?" He whispered, tightening his hold on me.

"Well…if you're ready to see and show me, I'd really like to see the 'evidence' found by the realtors. Did you bring it with you or is it back in Chicago?"

Without saying a word, he hugged me and buried his face in my hair while inhaling my scent. "Oh Bella, love, thank you so much for finding it in your heart to at least be willing to see the evidence. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," he chanted me while rocking us to and fro.

I hugged him closer and ran my hands through his hair. "Of course, Edward. It would've been unfair not to without giving you a chance to explain or see the evidence. Don't worry, we'll work through this. Together."

He nodded and pulled back. "Thank you, love, for being so understanding. The evidence is at the main house. Are you sure you want to see it?"

I just nodded and let him tow me along back to the house.

Just as he was about to knock, I took off my shield and asked him silently since I knew the others could hear us.

_Do they know, Edward?_

As if sensing that I didn't want anyone to hear, he just nodded.

I exhaled shakily and gripped his hand tighter.

_Great…how in the world are we going to tell this to Renesmee?_

I knocked gently just as Edward kissed my temple.

Carlisle and Esme opened the door, obviously happy to see us holding hands.

Did every one think that this would tear us apart?

"Good to see you, guys. Come in…Renesmee is sleeping with Jasper and Alice upstairs. Nessie and Alice were dressing up as cowboys and Jasper taught the little one how to get the 'perfect Southern Accent'. It was so cute," she gushed.

Edward and I just nodded; Nessie had the whole family wrapped around her small fingers.

Carlisle just hugged me and whispered, "Thank you for working this out. I told Edward that it would all turn out okay, but he didn't believe me."

He clapped Edward's shoulder and said, "I told you it'll be fine, son." He threw him one last 'I told you so' look before he followed his wife back to the library.

Seated on the couch watching a movie were Em and Rose. They both looked at us, then our entwined hands, finally cracking a smile.

Surprisingly, neither of them said a word –not even Em made a joke about our situation nor did Rose comment. I guess they realized how serious our situation was and how much we needed to work on this together. Alone.

Edward and I first stopped by Alice and Jasper's room to check on Nessie. We opened the door and found her in a small plaid top, jeans on, cowgirl boots on her small feet, a western hat sat askew her curls, and some of her hair was braided into a messy pig-tail. She was snoring lightly with her mouth half-way open looking so small in Alice and Jasper's huge bed. They were lying on both sides of Renesmee, quietly watching TV.

We kissed Nessie's forehead and thanked Jasper and Alice for keeping her company.

They just replied quietly, "It was fun and no big deal. She's the best and cutest cowgirl. Be prepared though…when she wakes up, she'll probably talk with a southern accent all day!"

After that, we both dashed and entered Edward's old room. It still looked the same, only somethings were reorganized. Instead of a small leather couch, there was a huge bed with pink and purple blankets and lots of soft pillows for Nessie to use in case we ended up staying at the main house.

His music collection lessened since he moved most of his CDs to the cottage. What used to be an empty space across the bed was now occupied by a smaller version of Nessie's bookshelf. It was slightly weird and… funny to know how masculine this room was back then; but now, it was filled with bright girly colors and furniture for our daughter's entertainment.

I knew for a fact that if Edward didn't love his daughter so much, he would never turn his "sanctuary" into a full out girly girl's room.

I sat on the on the soft bed and waited for him while he dug out the "evidence" from his bag.

He held up a huge padded envelope and handed it to me. I reached for the clasp to open it; but, suddenly I didn't want to see it…at least not here, where the others could hear us as if we were talking directly to them.

_Edward? Can we go to our cottage and talk about it there? It's just…I know for a fact that this won't be easy. I know that there's huge probability that I'm going to end up crying or yelling…or both. I think it would be best if we talked privately?_

He just nodded, kissed my forehead. "Good idea, love. How about we just say goodbye first, huh?"

We stopped by every couple around the house and let them know that we would be back before dinner.

After saying goodbye and letting them know that we would be talking in the cottage, we ran back to the privacy of our small home.

**-xXx-**

We ran to the cottage in silence, our hands entwined tightly together.

Edward opened the door for me and led me to our bedroom.

Suddenly, I realized how stupid this idea was. How was I supposed to start the conversation? What was I supposed to say?

So Edward, tell me more about your bitch of an ex-fiancée so I can beat the shit out of her gray, possibly faded, gravestone.

Yeah…totally not awkward at all.

The silence was so awkward, eerie, and uncomfortable. And AWKWARD. Did I say this was awkward…? Yeah it was awkward…

As if sensing that I wasn't going to talk first, Edward –thankfully- did.

"I know this conversation will be so uncomfortable for you, love. And I apologize for that and the pain I know you'll feel. I just want you to know that, if given the chance, I would find a way to solve this problem without hurting you. I'm just so infinitely grateful that you're even willing to talk about this."

I flashed him a timid smile. "Same here. I know that I won't be the only uncomfortable one but we have to get past this. We'll work through this together, I promise. I'm not saying that it'll be easy to accept all of this, but I'm willing to try."

He nodded gratefully while making a move towards our huge bed. I put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Uhm, Edward…can we not read her diary and the other documents on the bed? It's just that well it…ki-"I said, worriedly twisting my hands.

A look of guilt flashed in his eyes before he kissed my temple. "Love, you have nothing to feel sorry for. It's no big deal. We'll just talk on the sofa."

Thankfully, he understood and led me to the couch…or more like a smaller bed. This couch was _huge_. It sat across our bed and was the same dark brown as our blankets. It was soft and comfortable filled with many pillows, the perfect place to do this.

I sat between his legs, my back against his chest. The envelope was in my lap, waiting to be opened. I couldn't reach for it though because Edward had my arms locked in a tight embrace.

I wiggled my hands free and soothingly ran them against his arms. I turned around and stroked his cheeks.

"Sweetheart, I know _I'm_ ready to find out…but are _you_ sure that you are as well? You're as much as a part of this as I am and I completely understand if you want to wait."

He just shook his head and gave me a tight smile. "No I don't want to wait to find out. I just want to find out that truth, you know? I'm sorry for being a baby about this. _I_ should be comforting _you._ Not the other way around."

Before I even had the chance to object, he put two fingers against my lips and gently turned me back around.

We both sighed deeply before opening the thick envelope, revealing its contents.

There was a notebook, which I guess was Susannah's diary. Its pages were slightly uneven, the pages withered brown with age; the ink was fading slightly, but you couldn't mistake that the writer was girl, with the script being all loopy, curvy, and feminine.

On another thinner envelope, was the birth certificate of Susannah, a man named William, Anthony, a woman named Sarah, a man named Robert, and a boy named Riley.

Who those people –besides Anthony and Susannah- were and how they were related to this century old mystery, I had absolutely no clue.

Attached to the birth certificate was a picture that made me close my eyes in pain.

It was a picture of Edward, _human_ Edward, with _her_. They were sitting on the piano. Edward was playing with his eyes closed, a slight frown as he concentrated. Standing across from him was Susannah staring at him with a smile.

I didn't know what I expected when I saw her. Maybe someone with a huge wart in the middle of her forehead? Or someone with really crooked teeth? A huge mole on her lip with hair growing on it?

But her _true_ appearance took me by surprise. She had blond hair that was waved perfectly and framed her oval shaped face beautifully. Her eyes were the clearest blue I've ever seen. No huge mole, no disgusting wart, no crooked teeth. No flaw…

But the worst part…the worst part was the ring that adorned her fourth finger on her left hand. It was propped above her right hand and the ring was shining in the dim room. From the looks of it, it looked like a formal engagement picture.

I thought it wouldn't be this hard to see Edward's first fiancée but how wrong I was…

To see his ring on her finger made me pause and wonder how he proposed to her. Edward was a romantic man and a gentleman through and through. So even though it was an arranged marriage, I knew he never disrespected her.

Did he get down on one knee when he proposed to her? Did he _even_ propose to her?

Was it romantic?

Just as that question seeped into my mind, I almost snorted out loud.

_This is Edward we're talking about, Swan. That man can make __**anything**__ romantic, can charm off any woman's pants off…_

_Alright… I get it. __**My**__ husband is romantic…_

I dropped the picture face down and closed my eyes. Edward just wrapped his arms around me and refused to let me go. He took both of my shaking hands in his and clasped them tightly.

He leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Love, I know what you're thinking. She does not even compare to you, not even close. I love you, _only_ you. I'm so sorry you had to see that. If I knew there was a picture, I would have torn it to shreds."

I just nodded my head, the lump in my throat refusing to go away –making talking impossible.

I exhaled a shaky breath and turned towards him, dreading the answer but too curious not to ask. "Did you ever propose to her? I mean it was arranged, right? So was it just like an agreement between you two? Or did your parents force you to propose to her? Did you buy her the ring? Was her ring another one of your mom's-hand-me-downs?" I rushed out all in one breath before I lost my courage.

He looked at me and closed his eyes; his eyebrows furrowed creating a deep 'V'. "No, I didn't propose to her. Back in my time, when it was an arranged marriage, the man didn't propose. We just had to sign papers legalizing our marriage license and writing a petition to the local church to get married. My parents didn't _technically _force me into anything; they just thought that I was signing up for war without any knowledge about how life out in the field was. I guess they arranged me to be wed to her to keep me home." He paused and swallowed, concentrating hard. "I _know_ that her ring wasn't chosen by me nor was it my mother's. Her father picked it out for her, because he knew what her daughter liked when it came to jewelry. It was customary back then, too. If it was an arranged marriage, it was the woman's father who was responsible for picking the ring. But if the man proposed –which didn't happen very often- then he had to see the girl's father to help him choose the ring. _You_, Bella, are the only one who ever wore my mother's ring."

My own brows furrowed. "Why? If you're mother approved of her enough to arrange her to get married to you, then why didn't she let _her_ wear her ring?"

A small smile was appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Well, my lovely, the answer is simple. She knew that I didn't _truly_ love Susannah. I just considered her as a childhood friend that I grew up with. When they told me the news about my engagement to her, my mother pulled me aside. She told me that only the woman I truly loved deserved her ring. It wouldn't have been fair to Susannah, to the true woman of my dreams, and to the ring. Although it took nearly a century, it has now found its rightful place. It seems fitting that the only women who wore it was the first one I've ever loved –my mother- and the second and last woman I gave my heart to. No amount of jewelry can ever measure up and show you how much I love you. But my mother's ring comes pretty close." He declared intensely while rubbing my ring reverently.

I turned around and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too. And I'm glad that I was the first woman –not including your mom- to wear it," I breathed.

_Biggest understatement of the century. You're 'glad' that you're the first one to wear the ring? Hah! More like: happy, ecstatic, joyful, blithe, blissful, delighted, gleefu-_

_Okay…alright. I know I'm happy. Movin' on. And besides, how creeped out would Edward be if I started sprouting off random words? Let's just stick with 'glad' and keep our pride intact…_

Now that we got the proposal and ring issue out of the way –I didn't really realize how upset I was over it until after we talked about it- we looked at the other things in the envelope.

Besides the picture, worn out diary of Susannah's, birth certificates, there was also a Ziploc bag and inside it were…handcuffs?

I looked at Edward in confusion. What would a pair of handcuffs be doing with the rest of the evidence?

He just shrugged and told me to read the small note that came with it.

_These handcuffs were found in Ms. Stanford's belongings at the same time her diary was found. These handcuffs were the exact ones discussed in the diary. We found hair samples stuck on it. The hair was from none other than Mr. Edward (Jr.) Anthony Masen. Due to the age of this case, we could not send you the hair samples for it is now located at an old hospital in Chicago._

I looked at Edward in horror.

Unless he was into that kinky stuff when he was a human –which I highly doubt-, why would there be handcuffs with _his _hair samples on it?

What exactly _did_ Susannah do to him?

* * *

**A/N: Any theories on what Susannah did to Edward? What do you think happened with the handcuffs? **

**I'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, or just anything random. Feel free to even ask any questions or just simply say "hi". I'm not picky when it comes to reviews.**


	3. Susannah's Diary

**A/N: I just want to say that this chapter was already supposed to be up a day earlier. But, someone left a review and I just had to answer it. This wasn't the original A/N for this chapter because I already finished this chapter before I changed this note.**

**First and foremost, I did NOT copy a story called Bloodlines by windchymes. I haven't **_**even read**_** the story so I didn't copy anything. I came up with this idea when I was rereading Twilight and New Moon. I thought about how Edward is such a broody character that is usually very pessimistic. **

**The books didn't really talk much about his human life so I started imagining things that turned him into who he was. I knew that no one is capable of turning that broody and pessimistic unless something drastic happened to them.**

**And as you will read, something **_**does**_** happen to Edward that helps you understand why Edward is the way he is.**

**Whoever left an anonymous review, you should've signed in so I could explain this to you. I just hope that you are reading this to clear things up.**

**And to windchymes: I'm so deeply sorry if you thought that I copied your work. That was never my intention and if I knew that this kind of story/plot was already made, I would have written it on my first author's note at the first chapter with a link to your amazing story. **

**I will take constructive criticism because I know that my writing is not the best and there is always room for improvement. But please, don't accuse me of copying someone else's work. That was never my intention.**

**Really long note, but thanks to whoever read it.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**!ALERT!: ****As I've been told, the last part (the last diary entry) is quite graphic. If you think that you can't take it, feel free to skip it. There's going to be a brief summary on what you've missed on the next chapter. I'm sorry for the readers who got a bit overwhelmed by it.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Susannah's Diary**

* * *

**(BPOV)**

"Edward, honey, are you okay? Don't worry, we don't have to read the diary if you don't want to."

He just shook his head. "No, I want to get to the bottom of this. I just…do you think I violated her? Tied her down on the bed and molested her? Did I hurt her? I was a monster even when I was a human…" he cried into my neck.

I turned around and hugged his shoulders tightly. "Shh…sweetie, I may not have had the pleasure of knowing you when you were human; but I do know that you are _not_ a monster. I know for a fact that you didn't hurt her in any way. I don't think you are capable of hurting someone, much less a woman." I soothed him while running my hands through his hair.

He nodded and then exhaled; the little puff of air bringing an all too familiar wave of electricity to my skin. I pulled back before things could get heated; Edward needed support right now, not a make-out session.

When he gradually relaxed against me, I turned back around and opened the diary.

With Edward's left hand clasped in mine, I finally opened the book that held all of the answers to this century old mystery.

I took and a deep breath and asked Edward one more time if he was ready. At his nod, I opened the book that held all of Edward's old fiancée's secrets and thoughts.

…

_August 1914_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is my thirteenth birthday and officially the first day of being a woman. My mama told me so. _

_When I woke up this morning, I had a terrible stomach ache so I rushed to the privy. Upon entering there, I took my drawers off. _

_Seeing my own drawers filled with blood nearly gave me a heart attack. I didn't know what to do so I bunched my evening pajamas and dashed to my mother's room. _

_I didn't have to be worried about anyone seeing me because my father was at the Law Firm bright and early and our house helper came here around noon during weekends. _

_"Mother! There's blood in my drawers and I don't know why," I cried hysterically._

_She sat me down an explained to me that on my thirteenth birthday, I was officially a woman because my menstrual cycle came._

_She explained to me how a woman is able to get pregnant once she gets her "period"._

_After she explained to me the mechanics of it, I felt a sharp stab of pain in my abdomen. I had to skip school because I was getting what my mother called "cramps"._

_I was terribly upset because a missed school day is a missed Edward Masen Jr._

_Edward Masen Jr…he was the most handsome boy I've ever met, at only the young age of thirteen years old. Although he was only two months older than me, it felt like there was a much bigger age difference between us._

_He is a mature young man, plays the piano like a professional, listens to boring music –without any lyrics, just instrumental!- that my friends and I have never even heard of, and he seems so focused all the time. _

_He was everything that I –and my parents- wanted in a husband. Mature, gentle, and most importantly: rich. Of course his good looks was just a bonus._

_With his unruly bronze hair, to his emerald colored eyes, his jaw so sharp it could cut through glass, to his crooked smile, any woman would be lucky to have him._

_The only bad thing about him? He was as stubborn as a cow. He wants to go fight the war and I know that I would never score him as my husband if he goes off to go to who-knows-where. _

_I swear…if he comes back the least bit dilapidated or mutilated, I refuse to even marry him. One scar, one leg or arm missing and he's no longer an option. Well…maybe it would be okay if he had a scar. As long as it's small and somewhere that'll get covered by his clothes so no one can see it. But if he were to bed me, I'd ask him to cover it up…I'm sure it won't be pretty to look at._

…

"Wow, she's something else, huh? I knew you were handsome even when you were a human. At least we have one thing in common: we both think that you're the handsomest man I've ever met," I said, trying and failing to giggle to ease the tension.

When he didn't reply or make a sound, I turned around. "Edward, sweetie, are you okay?"

He just shook his head and burrowed it in my hair. I could sense that he needed time to process things so I just rubbed his arms with my hands.

After a while, he finally looked at me. "It's just hard, you know? To know that your ex-fiancée only wanted you because you had power, wealth, status, and good looks." He shuddered. "I just don't know what would have happened to me had I really married her. I would have been stuck with a conceited woman for the rest of my life."

I giggled at how disgusted he really sounded. "Hmmm…who said that you aren't _already_ married to a 'conceited woman'?" I quoted him.

"Come on, love. You, conceited? I don't think so. And besides I _know_ I'm not married to a conceited woman. The only type of woman I'm married to is the most loving, kind, understanding, loyal, drop-dead gorgeous, and a spit-fire when provoked kind."

I just rolled my eyes at his over exaggerated flattery, trying not to show how hard his words melted my cold and unbeating heart.

I turned around before I jumped him and got back to business.

We skimmed the rest of Susannah's diary, finding most of her young teenage years to be the same drama. I guess high school in the nineteenth century and twenty-first century wasn't that much different. Girls still worried over their hair and clothes while guys…well they worried over guy things.

The only difference was that while girls in the modern era worry about how to get a boyfriend, girls back then worried about how they were going to acquire _husbands_.

When Edward said that in his time, people married young, he wasn't kidding.

These girls were barely even sixteen before they started prowling around, looking for someone who would make a suitable husband.

I closed my eyes and imagined my husband back when he was a human. I knew for sure that Susannah wasn't the _only_ girl that ever set their eyes on him. He was proper, good looking, rich, his family had status. He was the whole package.

I tried imagining him in high school as a human. An Edward without supernatural gifts to read mind, no super speed, no ungodly beauty, not that he'd needed it anyway.

Would he have been one of the nerdier guys, always reading and playing video games; or would he have been a jock, someone who played sports? If he did play any sports, it'll probably be swimming or baseball. He definitely has the lean yet toned body. Not overly muscle like a football or a basketball player, but someone who was just wiry and lanky but had enough muscles to prove he was all man.

"Bella, love, are you still reading? I think it's time to turn the page now," Edward interrupted my day dreaming.

I shook my head and mumbled an apology. Times like these made me grateful for being a vampire. I no longer had the ability to blush; my body would never reveal me again.

We kept reading until we got to a diary entry of when she was days away from turning seventeen.

…

_June 1918_

_Dearest Diary,_

_I cannot believe this! Edward has just turned seventeen and is one year closer to going to war. We're on our final year of school before we both leave for college…or at least __**I**__ am. Edward, I'm afraid, won't even go to Grad school. He's going to be too busy out it in the field and shooting people. What will I do? _

_If he doesn't go to college, he won't be able to take over his father's position at the Law Firm. I refuse to be married to some ex-soldier. What good will __**that**__ do?_

_Meredith, one of my closest friends, is already engaged to Wilson Lee and was set to wed him as early as next month. I haven't even gotten Edward to at least court me! _

_I've tried and tried but he's as stubborn as horse manure stuck under my riding boots. I've tried telling him that I would be the perfect trophy wife for him because our families are such good friends._

_But what did he do? Nothing! I would try and lean in to get him to kiss my hand –we just surpassed the kissing of the cheek only stage- but he won't do anything. _

_I've tried showing him my ankles –something that my mother told me not to show to anyone besides my husband- but every time, he would just politely ask me to drop my skirts back down._

_Is that boy normal?_

…

I couldn't help by giggle at the question. Edward, even as a human, was too much of a gentleman…bordering on prude. But I couldn't push away the relief at the idea that he rejected her as well. Cruel, I know…but can you blame me?

Reading her experiences at trying to seduce him brought back memories when _I_ tried to seduce him…and got rejected, just like her.

Surprisingly, I wasn't all that mad anymore. Edward was raised at a…certain way and his own beliefs. I realized how wrong I was to try and seduce him when he was so hell bent on not having sex without getting married first.

If the situation was reversed, I know for a fact that _he_ wouldn't have tried to seduce _me_. He would've respected my decision, something I never did.

I turned around in his arms and said, "I'm sorry."

He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear before asking me what I was apologizing for.

"For pushing and pushing you and not knowing when to stop. You had very strong opinions about having premarital sex and there I was, seducing you at every chance I got. I'm sorry for forcing you when you were so against it."

He just smiled indulgently at me. "Oh my sweet Bella, how wrong you are. Yes, I was against it; but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a man who doesn't want to be seduced by a gorgeous girl. Besides, who said I didn't enjoy it? I may have stopped you most of the time, but I barely summoned the self-control to do so. You overestimate my control, Mrs. Cullen," he whispered in my ear, making me giggle.

Just as he was kissing his way to my lips –starting at the neck- I pushed him away and put on my best stern face that usually scared Nessie. "Focus."

He gave me a mock salute –earning an eye roll from me- before turning us both around to continue reading.

…

_August 1918_

_My only friend,_

_This is preposterous! It is now officially my seventeenth birthday and Edward has yet to kiss my hand, much less anywhere besides my cheek._

_He has finally gotten over what was stopping him from courting me days after his seventeenth birthday. It took so long for him to at least have the courage to court me that I was grateful he even did –even when I was already almost seventeen. Seventeen! If that boy doesn't propose to me soon, I'd be __**wheeling**__ myself down the aisle._

_We take regular afternoon strolls at the park. Sometimes I think that he always took me there during the afternoons because it was the most busiest at that time; families were having picnics, boys were playing baseball on the field, people were just hanging out. _

_Once, I hinted to him that I wanted to take an evening stroll, but he was clueless at taking hints like Betsy was at sewing (no woman is considered a proper lady unless she knew how to sew –so Betsy was no lady!). _

_Whenever I would ask him to walk with me near the small lake, he would just gape at me like a fish out of water. I think he was afraid to walk with me near the lake because he knows that all lovers do so. But I always tell myself that he already loves me…he just doesn't know it yet. _

…

"Wow…so she thought you were in love her…you just didn't know it yet. Is it just me or does she sound kinda crazy?"

Edward just chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't call her crazy." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, she is. But it must have been my fault, I led her on, gave her false hope," he murmured solemnly.

"Edward it is _not_ your fault. This girl was obviously in love with you…or at least as much as she knew of you. Even if you flicked her off or however many times you rejected her, I doubt she would get the message. And besides, I don't blame her…you are one hot piece of ass even as a human," I winked, trying to cheer him.

That did it. He chuckled. "Love, I don't think I've ever heard someone call my ass 'hot' considering I'm a vampire and I'm a stone so no, my ass is cold, not hot."

I just rolled my eyes and muttered, "Smartass", hoping he didn't hear me. Looking at his smirk, I knew I wasn't successful.

Before his ego could grow any bigger, I looked down at the diary again. It was my job as his wife to deflate his already huge ego, not inflate it.

…

_Mid-August 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_This week is just not going dandy for me. Everything that could go wrong did._

_My parents are harassing me about marrying already. They said I wasn't getting any "younger" and needed to find a proper wealthy husband._

_At first they wanted me to wed Edward Masen Jr. but now they have their sights set on someone else? A man named William Collins. His father owned a very successful law firm as well, only it was in New York. Now they want me to just forget about Edward and marry this William guy._

_What they don't understand is that I will __**not**__ give up on Edward. I've worked so hard to get him and it would be close to insanity to give up now. And besides, he was the most coveted man in this town. Never showing any signs that he felt anything towards all the __**other**__ women in town. _

_I could just imagine how abuzz everyone would be at the news of our engagement…all over magazines, his father's law firm, my mother's luncheons…_

_**Edward Anthony Masen Jr. and Susannah Stanford set to be wed at the middle of early September…**_

_**The lovely couple all welcomes you to join the joyous occasion…**_

_**Join us as the golden couple becomes one in the eyes of God himself…**_

_Yes, I could definitely see the craze now…all I needed was for him to propose. Soon._

_Not only were my parents constantly nagging me to marry a man I've never even met and who was surely not as handsome and mysterious as Edward, my friendships with my very close friend was also strained. _

_Meredith __**Lee **__was already married and she was a month __**younger **__than me! Can you believe it? I knew I couldn't…_

_I asked her how married life was and she told me that it was nice to be the "trophy wife". She said she was contented to stay at home, wait for him, and let him bed her then go to separate rooms afterwards. Her eyes twinkled with pride whenever her husband took her to one of his functions at the hospital, her being nothing more than an accessory he owned._

_No sooner was she wed that she announced that she was carrying his child. A child! Everyone was so ecstatic for her that they forgot to work out the mechanics of it; but not me._

_I may not have a child to fill my belly yet, but I knew it took some time to create a child unless you were lucky. But what took even longer than to create a child was to __**carry**__ one. _

_I couldn't even remember seeing her belly full for a full nine months. But of course, only I realized that. _

_Once, when her husband was at a meeting out of town, I took the opportunity to ask her about her pregnancy. _

_"Meredith, I am terribly confused. I know that you wed only a couple months ago. So, how could you have gotten your belly full so fast and showing already?" _

_She just giggled at my confused expression. "Oh Susannah, Susannah…you are still such a naïve, naïve child."_

_I looked at her incredulously. The nerve of this woman! She was a month __**younger**__ than me. Did she put a tad too much sugar in her oatmeal this morning?_

_At my stupefied expression, she explained. "Oh, Susannah…do you think a guy like Wilson would be wed so fast? Year by year, he was getting closer to inheriting his father's medical clinic. I knew that before he had the chance to meet other women who were more fit to be his wife, I had to make sure I was wed and tied to him as soon as possible."_

_Having no idea how she succeeded and planned such a thing, I nodded for her to continue. _

_"A man like Wilson would never just settle down without anything __**tying**__ him down. And I found the perfect solution." Meredith then surprised me by smiling a vindictively._

_She then cupped her belly. "This baby was, and still, is my key to my success. You see right before we were married, in the middle of our engagement, Wilson started getting distant and looking at other woman. Since I have three older brothers, I knew that my days with him were slowly getting numbered._

_"But I couldn't let that happen, could I? Wilson is my only way out of here. Once this baby is born, we're moving to Charleston, England to pursue his medical clinic there. I knew that if I didn't do something drastic, something that __**forced**__, William to stay with me, I would remain in this godforsaken town for the rest of my life._

_"Even though Wilson was different from every man here –much more richer than everyone else- he is still a man. And __**all**__ men are the same. Or more like __**all**__ seventeen year olds are the same. One touch at a __**certain**__ spot of his body and suddenly things are going to go your way."_

_"What did you do? __**Where**__ exactly did you touch him? And does he know of this plan?"  
"Easy…I cornered him. He actually made it quite easy for me. My parents were out taking a walk at the park, my brothers spending time with their wives, so I was all alone. Wil and I were taking a stroll down the park when I asked him if he could walk me home. I came home and found no one there, you have no idea how happy I was; luck was truly on my side. But even though my family was there, I would have just taken him to my room and set my plan in motion."_

_I let out a loud gasp. "Meredith! That is not proper lady's etiquette! Unwed women, even with the man who was courting her, could __**never**__ be in a room or anywhere without any other supervision. How could you?" _

_"Oh how could I? Imagine if everything you worked for, everything you've dreamed for could come true and all you had to do was work on it. To hell with etiquette! Wilson was going to leave me and I was going to be alone in this boring old place without much money. My parents don't own much land and I need to take every opportunity I can to survive. Excuse me if it meant getting my belly full along the way! At least I had a dream and actually had the __**courage**__ to make it happen. _

_"But what about you, huh? Waiting for loverboy to propose to you? Might as well wait until your hair turns gray and your skin prunes up because it will never happen. Edward Masen Jr. has no plans of marrying you, all he wants is to go that god damn war! Can't you see that? You're time is running out and you're just __**waiting**__ for him to change his mind? Hell would have to freeze twice before that happened. But I'm here; I'm willing to help you. I'm leaving with Wil to England so if you want my help, I'll give it to you. But I'm warning you, you need to work fast about this, you don't have much time left."_

_I looked at her and really thought about what she said. The more her words sunk in, the more I realized she was right. My time __**was**__ running out and I need to be wed to Edward very soon. Whether that's with a full belly or not, Edward Masen Jr. would be my husband before my eighteenth birthday. _

_I took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm doing it. I'm going to fill my belly with Edward's child. Are you going to help me?"_

_She grinned smugly at me and said, "Do you even need to ask? Let's set this plan in motion…"_

…

I didn't know what to say so I just held my breath and waited for Edward to speak.

Counting the minutes passing by, I just chose to speak up first.

"Well now we know that _she_ intentionally got pregnant. At least we know you're not at fault he-"

He shook his vehemently. "She's not the only one at fault here, Bella. It takes two to create a baby. Even if she forced me or planned to seduce me, I should have resisted. I shouldn't have lost control. I should have…should…have…"

His breaths were getting shallower by the minute so I just pulled him in my arms and combed my fingers softly through his hair.

"Sweetie, what if we just read the next part before you start telling yourself that you didn't resist her enough, okay?"

He just nodded into my neck, looking over my shoulder to continue reading.

…

_August 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_It is finally official! I am going to bed Edward and making sure that by the end of it, my belly will be full of his child._

_I know that a proper lady shouldn't be the one bedding the man, but like Meredith: "To hell with etiquette"._

_By Edward's bored expressions, I can tell he was just itching to go to war. He won't even ask me to listen to his stupid piano music anymore. And when I tried to kiss his lips for the first time, he turned away so I ended up kissing his cheek. CHEEK!_

_Is that boy truly seventeen? If he won't even let me kiss his lips, then how in the world would he even allow me to touch him __**there?**_

_I guess I'll just have to do fast and be sneaky about it. But Meredith said that I shouldn't worry because it's going to end fast anyways. She said something along the lines of "virgin boys take only three to four pumps, five maximum"._

_When she told me that, I looked at her quizzically. "What pumps? What am I going to pump? Surely I'm not going to be pumping a water pump, am I? We have house helpers to do that for us."_

_She just laughed at me and called me "naïve" again._

_But once she explained it to me –what or more like __**who**__ I was pumping-, I got it. _

_I just had to make sure that I drag Edward to somewhere private. Meredith told me all the pointers on how to get him going, where to touch him, and then finally what to do to make sure that I carry Edward's child in my belly. _

_I'm ready. I've got Meredith's…gift with me, I learned all of the necessary "pumping" skills, and I have a plan._

_Now all I need is to get Edward alone…_

…

"See, sweetheart? She was planning on cornering you anyway," I tried to soothe my poor agitated husband who was currently close to yanking out all of his hair.

He just shook his head at me, in denial.

I sighed and continued to read. The only way Edward would get over his guilt was to know that he at least resisted Susannah's advances.

But as I read the next entry, I wasn't sure whether or not Edward _truly_ resisted. The worst part was that even though he resisted her, she still got pregnant…so they must've had sex anyway.

Was I ready to do this, find out my husband's first time having sex?

But as I looked at him, I knew that I wasn't going to leave him now…not ever.

…

_August 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_You know how everything was planned already; all I needed was to corner Edward? Well the perfect opportunity arrived._

_My parents were out at a function for my father's law firm so they won't be back until later tonight. My oldest brother took his wife at a medical convention and my other brother was working at the police station until midnight. So essentially, all I have to do is convince Edward to stay home with me._

_That wouldn't be a problem because Edward may be a prude, but he is __**always**__ a gentleman. _

_Would he be gentle in bed? Meredith said that Wilson wasn't that rough with her the first time but it still hurt her. _

_Would it hurt for me as well?_ _Would Edward be gentle with me?_

_But Meredith did say that Wilson was normally a gentle person, but when they bed each other, gone was the guy with a soft nature. She said that while it did hurt, she just kept imagining all of the things she'll gain in the end. _

_I asked what happened after the bedding, and she looked at me incredulously. "You seriously have not heard of what __**every**__ man does after he beds his wife?!"_

_At the shake of my head, she explained. "After they finish bedding each other, the man would go to a separate bedroom because the wife's job is done. That's also another reason why you need to find a proper husband because he needs to be wealthy enough to afford multiple rooms. God forbid if he couldn't afford to get more than one bed room! Where will he sleep after he beds you?" She shuddered at the thought. _

_I just nodded, taking it all in._

…

_I looked around the familiar trees and even more familiar faces. Is this all Edward and I will ever do? Take stupid walks at the park? Will we even hit the kissing of the hand stage? _

_Immediately, I knew we would never do so; he wouldn't even hold my hand unless assisting me!_

_Just as we were hitting the end of the pavement, I knew that my time was up. Just as Edward was looking out into the sky, I pretended to trip. I yelled out a believable scream that caught his attention._

_I pretended to clutch my ankle in pain while crying hysterically, successfully getting Edward concerned._

_Like the gentleman that he was, he knelt down and asked me how he could help. He offered to take me to the hospital but I declined._

_"Just please take me home. My brother is a doctor and I'm sure he can fix me up."_

_He just nodded and effortlessly carried me in his arms, holding me far away enough from his body that another person could fit in between us. _

_I knew that Edward would never go to my house if he knew no one was there. I had to pretend that the rest of my family was there. _

_In not time, Edward carried me until I could see the rooftops of my house. I pretended to howl in pain as he accidently grazed my foot so that he could walk faster. _

_The last thing I needed right now was one of our nosy neighbors ruining my well thought out plan._

_He knocked and knocked but no one answered. I just shrugged, telling him the perfect excuse. "They must just be all busy. You know how tired my brother and father are after work. You couldn't wake them up even if a cannonball erupted in front of them."_

_I expected him to laugh or at least crack a smile at my "war joke". But nope…no smile. If he can't even crack a smile, how in the world was I going to crack __**him?**_

_I fished my keys out –knowing that I would need them- out of my pocket. As I searched for the metallic key, my hands grazed another metallic object hidden away in my skirt's pocket. Handcuffs._

_Meredith's husband, Wilson, was good friends with my other brother who happened to be a police. So she helped me out a bit. She cooked a luncheon fit for kings and brought it to the police station, along with her husband._

_She purposefully brought a ton of food for everyone to share so no one would suspect her. Meredith brought her husband –who had no idea of her plans- to the station to distract the other police men._

_Just as everyone was busy away chatting and eating, she went to the police's office and stole a pair of handcuffs. She tucked it away under her skirts so no one would ever know._

_It pays off to have a friend who was willing to risk her –not to mention her husband's as well- reputation for the sake of helping me out._

_Right after she stole the handcuffs, she handed them to me and told me exactly what to do with them._

_..._

_"Are you okay, Susannah? Just open the door so that your brother can check you over," Edward said, worry tinting his voice._

_One of the many other good things about Edward Masen? His voice. It sounded a little but gruff but velvety at the same time. It wasn't overly deep or too squeaky. It was absolutely mesmerizing to see his lips move and form his words up close. _

_I just nodded, pretending to shake my hand while hurriedly jamming the key into the hole. _

_I opened the door and yelled out for my non-existent family. "Mother! Father! John! Laurie!"_

_When no one answered, I turned to Edward, morphing my face into a worried expression. "I don't think anyone is here…"_

_A look of panic flashed across his eyes, unwed woman and men should __**never**__ be somewhere alone without a third party with them. _

_He just nodded his head, walking towards the telly. I shifted my foot and pretended to cry out in pain. I'll be damned before I let him call someone over. _

_His eyes met mine and I could see the hopelessness there. "Edward, could you just bring me to my room. I'm sure that one of them is bound to come home soon. I'll just relax my ankle for a bit."_

_His face took on a nervous expression and I could see him eyeing the bedrooms upstairs from the corner of my eye. _

_I just relaxed my face into a smooth expression to not give away anything. I patted my skirts to make sure that the handcuffs were still there. _

_Edward carried me effortlessly through the second floor and slowly walked me to my bedroom. He opened the door, kept his eyes solely on me and not around my room, and all but dropped me on the bed. He hastily unclasped my arms around his neck and hurriedly walked to the door. _

_I feigned a gasp of pain. "Edward, wait. Can you please help me take my shoes and this sweater off? It's a little bit hot in here."_

_He hastily nodded, looking everywhere but my ankles and chest as he popped the button off my sweater. His hands were moving so fast that they were just a blur of movement. _

_Luckily, in his haste to put me down on the bed, he only placed me on the right side of it. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to perform the final act of my plan. _

_"Do you mind also taking off the pins in my hair? They're poking my head unpleasantly."_

_"Of cour-r-s-e," his voice shook as he answered me. Since I had my head propped up in a pillow, he had to lean over to take off the pins. It effectively, aligned his perfectly sculpted chest to my eye level._

_Handcuffs? Check_

_Get Edward alone in my room? Check_

_Get Edward to lean in close to me so I can pin him down? Almost…here it goes._

_Just as he was concentrating on taking out the pins without scratching my scalp, I discreetly reached for the handcuffs in my pocket. I took it out and opened just one wristlet._

_I locked my legs around Edward's hips and turned him around and pushed him on the bed –a move that Meredith told me would take him by surprise. By the look of his face, I knew she was correct._

_Before he could regain his senses, I rose up and pinned him down with my hands. I took his right arm and handcuffed his right wrist against the bed post. _

_I straddled him as he helplessly tried to get away. Lucky for me, Edward was a right handed person so he couldn't really push me away with his weak left hand._

_I pinned his left hand with my right one and started unbuttoning his pants. For some reason, he started thrashing wildly on the bed while muttering the words, "please no", over and over again._

_This boy just kept surprising me. I thought Meredith said that seventeen year old boys never fought against women when in bed? That they always enjoyed themselves and let the women do their jobs? So why was Edward telling me "no"?_

_I avoided looking at him in fear that my conscience would take over. I had to do this to secure my future. Edward Masen Jr. was mine and no one else's._

_I pulled his zipper down and grazed the back of my hand against his __**thing**__ –his penis, as Meredith told me its proper name. _

_I took of his plain white boxers and pulled them down to his ankles along with his pants. _

_His penis was still soft which instantly worried me because Meredith said that for a man and woman to join as one, his penis has to be "hard". _

_Luckily, she told me exactly how to do just that. I stroked the underside of his penis which Meredith told me was the most sensitive place for most men. I grazed my fingers against the bluish veins of his most private anatomy and gently squeezed the head of it. _

_Edward still kept thrashing around the bed. He shook his head left and right while begging me, "Susannah, please, please don't do this. I don't want this. Please stop now, I beg of you. This is not right." He looked close to tears as he pleaded with me to stop. _

_I reached under my skirts to get the other pair of handcuffs and secured his left wrist against the bed as well. I avoided all eye contact with him, knowing that he seemed like the type of man who wanted to save himself for his wife. But I was doing him a favor wasn't I? I was going to be his wife anyways so I was just…speeding up the process a bit. _

_I shook my head at him and placed my hand against his mouth to shut him up. Time was ticking and I know that he needed to be quiet in case anyone was nearby. _

_I lifted up my skirts and stroked him harder. He was shaking his head harder and I could feel the warm temperature of his tears against my hand. _

_I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Edward, stop fighting this. I know you want it anyways, just enjoy it."_

_He didn't even reply, just tugging hard against the handcuffs. _

_I brought my attention back to his penis and started putting more pressure against it. I gently palmed it and cupped his balls. Just as I ran the tip of my thumb against his head, his penis twitched and started turning hard._

_It was quite fascinating to watch actually. Up close, it was amazing to see it transform from a soft weird-shaped thing to something hard. It was empowering to feel it harden in my hand, knowing that it was __**I**__ who was doing this. Not Betsy, not Hannah, not any other girl in town who coveted my future husband. _

_Although I could feel his lips forming the word "No" against my hand, telling me to stop; his body told me otherwise. How can he tell me to stop while he was getting hard? He wanted me…he just didn't know it._

_I bunched up my skirts and started leaning in. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the pain that Meredith told me all virgin girls would feel for the first time. Yes, it may hurt, but so what? I get Edward as my husband and money in my wallet so I'm sure it'll be worth it._

_Meredith told me to do this slow because this was my first time taking something in me. So I did. I slowly sank myself into him, stretching myself to fit him all in. I braced myself, my hands grasping his button up shirt to support myself. _

_Once he reached my "virginal barrier", I slowly started lowering myself more. I knew he could feel it too because he closed his eyes._

_"Please, Susannah. Don't do this, I beg of you."_

_I just shook my head, not trusting my voice to not shake. _

_I saw him shut his eyes and turn away from me, tears streaming down his face. _

_Just as I was about to stop, no longer wanting to hurt my childhood friend, I shifted my hips slightly. Just at my slight move of my hips, I experienced a pain that caused my eyes to clamp shut and a scream to fly out of my lips._

_Edward immediately stopped moving. "Susannah, are you okay?"_

_I cleared my throat and waited for the pain to go away. "I'm fine."_

_"No, you're-"_

_Thankfully, the pain went away after a couple of seconds. I gently started moving up and down, interrupting whatever Edward was going to say. _

_It was actually easier than I thought it was going to be. I was a master at riding horses and this wasn't much different from it. The only thing that was different was that instead of dark brown skin, I was straddling Edward's pale legs. _

_Like Meredith said, it didn't take long for Edward to "release". I felt a hot spurt of liquid inside of me. I thought that I was going to be disgusted at the thought of him "releasing" something into me that was full of who-knows-what, but I wasn't. Just the thought of this Edward's "hot liquid" filling me brought nothing but joy. _

_Meredith explained that his "hot liquid", or also know as his seed, was the thing that first creates the baby. Day by day, this liquid will manifest inside of me, slowly filling my belly with his child. I couldn't be any happier! I could just imagine how every woman in town will react when they find out that I was pregnant with Edward's child._

_I slowly slid him out of me, being careful because for all I knew, the baby might have already started growing inside of me. _

_"We-"I tried to say but I was interrupted by the sound of someone opening the door._

_I distinctly heard the voice of my brother and his wife talking silently to themselves._

_My eyes met Edward's shameful ones. I took the key out of my shirt pocket and freed Edward's wrists. I tried to talk to him, but he just turned his head away, tears silently streaming down his face._

_I didn't know why Edward was crying. Didn't all men like being bedded?_

_I tried to touch his shoulder but he just flinched away from my hand. He pulled his jeans and trousers up and ran his hands through his hair agitatedly. _

_"Listen, Edward. You can't tell this to anybody."_

_He just nodded and turned towards the door. I faintly heard him say, "Lost control…lost control…lost control", over and over again._

_"Lost control"? What in the world is he talking about?_

_I just decided to ignore him, pulling my skirts down as well. _

_Edward rushed downstairs without a backward glance at me or even a goodbye. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself._

_I'll just talk to him next time. _

_Strands of hair fell out of my bun and looked slightly disheveled. My cheeks were a bright red with my shirt all wrinkly. But all in all, I didn't look much different. I still looked like the same girl from yesterday…only I wasn't a virgin anymore. _

_I managed to muffle my squeal at the thought of Edward taking my virginity._

_I touched my flat stomach and imagined it all big and blown up with his child growing inside of me. _

_As I lifted my shirt to reveal my belly, only one thought came to mind._

_Could I pregnant with Edward's child now?_

* * *

**A/N: So how was it? Are you guys sad for Edward? **

**I'm thinking about writing Outtakes for this story. Would you guys be interested in that? Leave a review and tell me what kind of missing moments you'd like me to write. **

**I already have two in mind: when Edward finds out about his human past in Chicago or back to human Edward finding out that he was expected to marry his childhood friend.**

**Sound good? Leave a review of what you think.**


	4. Aftermath

**A/N: For all the readers who skipped the last part of the previous chapter, here's what happened: Susannah cornered Edward in her room, handcuffed him to the bed, and then raped/violated him to get herself pregnant.**

**I'm sorry if I didn't warn you guys for that, I rewrote the previous chapter and added a warning for the future readers to avoid the "graphic scenes".**

**From now, I'll try to post a warning for lemons/anything graphic or violent. But feel free to let me know what overwhelms you so I can try to tone it down a bit because I do want to keep my story Rated K so more readers of all ages can read it. **

**Surprise! EPOV! Tell me if you want more EPOV in the story so I can write more of them…**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Aftermath**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"That low-life bitch, that good for nothing piece of sh…" my feisty wife exclaimed, profanities that she never really used on a daily basis pouring out of her mouth.

I didn't know what my face or my expression looked like, but it must've been bad because Bella abruptly stopped her rant and looked at me.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry that must've been hard for you and here I am cussing my big mouth out. Is there anything I can do?" She asked me, looking at me helplessly

Just hearing her call me 'sweetheart' immediately brought a sense of calm and contentment that nothing –or anyone- could accomplish by just one word.

I just shook my head and whispered under my breath, "Just love me."

Although I whispered it, she still heard me.

She rose up on her knees and pulled me in her arms. She rocked me soothingly back and forth like a little child. "Oh, honey, you never have to ask me to do that. I will _always_ love you."

It was comforting to hear that but it was hard to accept it no matter how much I wanted to.

How can she love me, a broken man with a dark past that I never even knew about? I was tied to a bed against my will, violated, and raped by someone who I considered my friend.

How can Bella continue to look at me with love while knowing that someone else took my virginity –albeit it was against my will- but it was taken nonetheless? That someone touched me in places that only she had the right to? That I wasn't innocent and untouched as her on our wedding night?

Just the thought of her thinking that I wasn't pure –or as pure as a monster can be- made me heave a loud sob.

I knew that if Bella heard me call myself a monster again, I knew that she would reprimand me –or smack me- yet again. Yes, the times that I called myself a monster were now fewer and further in between but there were times –times like these- that made me think otherwise.

It took quite a long time for Bella and Nessie to finally convince me that I wasn't a monster and no one could blame them because they had more than a century of pent up guilt, frustration, and broodiness –Emmett's favorite adjective for me- to work against.

But like the patient and loving person that my daughter and her mother were, they just stuck with me and reassured me that I wasn't a soulless monster every time I doubted myself.

I think that the only argument that finally convinced me was when Renesmee was obsessed with comic-books.

**-xXx-**

_"Edward, watch Renesmee while I'm gone with Rose, Alice, and Esme, alright?" Bella said, while glancing worriedly at the living room where Emmett and Jasper were playing with Nessie._

_I didn't know who the bigger kid was when it came to building stuff from legos. Nessie or her Uncles? Although Jasper was more mature than Emmett, he was still competitive. And if there was anything that gets Cullen men going, it's a nice competition where the price would be bragging rights in the end. _

_"Yes, love. Don't worry, I won't let them corrupt our little angel," I rolled my eyes, while kissing her temple._

_She muttered another, "I mean it. I want her to stay an angel when we come back," before kissing me and then heading out in Alice's car to drive to the mall._

_I stopped by the living room and peeked my head in. "Hey, Em and Jas, I'll just be in my room cleaning things up okay? Call me if Nessie needs anything at all."_

_They didn't even look up, just nodded vaguely before focusing on their lego buildings. I looked around and saw Nessie watching their pale hands moving swiftly with wide eyes, her tiny feet swinging back and forth against the sofa. _

_I chuckled at her awe-struck expression and kissed her hair. "You just call Daddy if you need anything, alright Sweetheart? I'll just be upstairs."_

_Nessie just nodded her head, her bronze curls brushing my chin as I leaned down. She kissed my cheek before practically pushing me off the sofa to watch her uncles competing. _

_I dashed up to my old room, looked around, and then couldn't help but chuckling silently._

_Who knew that my old room would've turned into a room so girly it looked like Alice's room had she been a little kid? Oh well, at least my little Nessie had her own room in the main house in case we stayed here overnight._

_I walked to the huge bed and fixed it __**properly. **__Nessie fixed it hurriedly because her mother asked her to, but she never got to check it because they were running a little late to the mall._

_I lifted the soft pillows and smoothed out the blankets then folded them properly. Nessie's definition of making her bed was smoothing out the blankets into one side and then tucking the messy side under the huge pillows. _

_It was obvious that she only cleaned the left side because it had more blankets than the other side, confirming my suspicion that she just tugged on it to smooth the wrinkles out._

_After I evened out the blankets, I walked over to the closet and folded the clean clothes lying on the ground and put them back into the shelves. Renesmee must've picked her own clothes this morning but then changed her mind; then got too lazy to use the stool to return her clothes properly. _

_I laid down on the sofa across the bed, covered my eyes with my arm, and then reflected how my life changed in barely over two years. _

_If I someone told me two years ago that I would finally find a mate and then father a child with her, I would've laughed at them…or punched them._

_I just couldn't believe that I was blessed enough to not only get one angel –Bella- for eternity, but another one. _

_And speaking of the angel…I could hear the soft pitter patter of her small feet running to my room._

_There was a firm knock on my door before I heard a small excited voice._

_"Daddy…help, please?" Nessie huffed while shifting something in her arms…?_

_I opened the door and found Em looking proud and smug, Jasper looking apologetically at me, and then my tiny angel holding a bunch of…comic books in her small arms?_

_I immediately took the books out of her arms and stood aside to let them in the room. _

_"Nessie, wha-"I attempted to ask only for her to tug at my pants while dragging me towards the bed._

_Emmett and Jasper just left the room silently but not before Jas sent me a parting thought._

_**I just want to say that this is totally Emmett's idea. **_

_Leaving me more confused than ever, I turned towards Nessie in hopes that she would explain what was happening. _

_I looked down at her while she looked up at me expectantly and then glancing at the bed out of the corner of my eye._

_I almost chuckled out loud. That was my Nessie. Sweet as an angel but a little sassy when it came to getting things that she wanted…just like her mother. _

_But I would never say that to her…I'd probably just be kicked out of our bedroom and sent into the doghouse. _

_I dropped the comic books at the corner of the bed and lifted her up and sat her on the high bed, her little fuzzy sock-covered feet dangling off the side._

_I sat next to her and waited for her to talk. Instead, she just ignored me, digging into her pile of comic books and letting out a small triumphant "humph" until she found what she was looking for. She crawled into my lap and then turned the pages with her small fingers not stopping until she found the proper page._

_She waved the book at me and then like the dumbass that I was, I tried to read it. I held her small wrists still and read the page silently._

_Could vampires actually get dizzy because of a two and a half year old? _

_I didn't have to read the title to know what the comic was about because the pictures told me enough. _

_There, in the pages were pictures of Superman doing a variety of things with short captions underneath._

_The first picture was his classic stance: both hands clenched and rested against his hips, legs shoulder length apart, and his head held high; wearing his signature clothes: red cape, blue shirt with his trademark 'S' in the middle, blue tights under his rather racy –when you look at it up close and knowing that your young daughter was looking at it- underwear. _

_Why do all superheroes wear skin tight clothing, especially the men?_

_I'm definitely going to be sending a letter to their illustrators to ask them to tone down their costumes a bit if my sweet little innocent angel was going to be reading more of these kinds of stories._

_Hey… I'm just following my wife's orders: no corrupting our little Nessie._

_When she saw my eyes go a little unfocused, Nessie patted my check softly to bring my attention back at the rest of the pictures._

_On the next picture, Superman was saving a little cat stuck in the tree using his ability to fly. _

_Then, he was helping an old lady carry her grocery bags across the street with his super-natural strength._

_Then he was carrying an injured woman in his arms to the hospital with his super-natural speed._

_Then he was rocking a small baby to sleep in his massive arms when he saw a distressed single mother trying –and failing- to quiet her child down._

_I looked at Renesmee in confusion, trying to catch up on what she was trying to do. It was my first time reading a comic book in over a century –the last time I read it was when I was a human boy._

"_Daddy, look! You're just like Superman! You have super powers too and you're __**super**__ nice to me, mommy, and everyone else! Are you a hero too? But can you fly? Cause I never saw you fly before and I don't want you to get hurt. So be careful okay?" She looked up at me with her mother's big brown eyes as she put on her best stern face._

_I chuckled at how my daughter's mind worked and couldn't resist kissing her hair. "No, sweetheart, I'm no superhero. And you're right, I can't fly. But would you mind telling me who showed you these comics?" I already knew it was Emmett thanks to Jasper's thoughts but decided to make sure anyways._

_Jasper may have just thrown Em under the bus because of Bella. She purposely didn't show our girl what comics were because she believed that Nessie needed to be more challenged when it came to reading and considered comics as meaningless picture books with a sentence or two to tell you what was going on. And it's safe to say that if Bella ever found out who was behind all of this, she'd blow a casket._

_My Bella may only be a woman with the dainty height of five feet and a half, but she was much scarier when crossed…and I'm sure neither human nor vampire would want to get on her bad side. _

"_Uncle Emmie did. We went up to his room to play his games but then I saw this on his table. Aren't they cool?" she sang, without even knowing that she was tattling her uncle off._

_I heard Emmett groan silently, an image of a mad Bella in her trademark 'mommy look' –complete with her eyes ablaze and hands on her hips- flashed in his mind before he pleaded with me silently._

_**Please, Edward, if you have any mercy left, tell Bella it was you who introduced Nessie into comics. She'll kill me…you on the other hand she might keep and not hurt**__, he begged me._

_I just chuckled at his over exaggeration. My Bella wasn't that bad when she was mad…when her anger wasn't directed at you._

_I looked at the tiny angel in my lap as she continued to look at the pictures. It was obvious that she didn't know how to read comics because her eyes would flash from one picture to the next, completely ignoring the little captions. _

_With her small furrowed eyebrows, her brown eyes focusing intently on the page, and her teeth biting down on her small cherry lips, she was the splitting image of her mom._

_I just looked at her and couldn't help but love her more. The thing about Nessie was that when she was obsessed with something, she was __**obsessed **__with it. One week, she's into fairytales; and then the week after that, she's loving comic books. _

_She read for a couple more minutes, her tiny cheek resting on my chest before she fell asleep. A quick glance at the clock made me realize that it was time for her daily nap and then I shifted her slightly to put her down on the bed._

_Just like her mother when she was human, Nessie just snuggled closer to me while lying down on the middle of her huge bed, making her look even more smaller and fragile than she already was. _

"_I love you, Daddy. You're my hero," she mumbled sleepily into my chest before turning the other direction._

_I did tell you that she was her mother's child, right? _

_I lightly scratched her back knowing that it made her sleepier. She hugged her blanket –Blankie, as she calls it- close while snoring softly._

_I don't know why she fell in love with her blanket so hard for it was just a random gift that Esme gave…well made for her. Esme actually taped all of Nessie's drawings of the family on some special paper/cloth and sewed it all to make a collage and attached it to a soft quilt. _

_Ever since after Esme gave it to Nessie after the Volturi attack to help soothe her to sleep, Nessie never slept without it. _

_One of the other many charming traits my daughter had? She loved __**anything **__and__** everything**__ my family gave her. Whether it may something small or big, she treasured it immensely._

_Whether Alice and Rose purchased her the biggest doll-house online or a small bracelet from Jacob, she'd just thank them, taking good care of their gifts._

_Just thinking of Jacob's name almost made me growl out loud, but couldn't because of the peaceful angel snoring against my chest._

_It was hard knowing that Jacob imprinted on my little angel literally minutes after she was born. But just hearing his thoughts about her made me calm down a bit. I knew that he knew that he imprinted on her but was willing to wait. He was nothing but just a good friend to her...for now. And deep down –as much as I didn't want to say it- I couldn't have picked a better man for her._

_I knew that no one could love and protect my daughter the way he could. And based on how loyal Jacob was to Bella even when she was with me, it comforted me to know that Jacob would be just as loyal –if not more- when it came to Renesmee. _

_I let Nessie sleep peacefully and thought for the first time on what she said._

_Could this beautiful angel really think so much of me? Does she not see for what I really am –a heartless soulless monster who's killed many humans before she was even born? Does she really think I'm a "hero"? Would she still think that of me when she finds out that I once left her mother, trying –and failing- to protect her from me? _

_Would she still think of me as her wonderful daddy once she finds out the life I've lived during my newborn rebellion stage?_

_All these questions raced in my head; but as I felt Nessie shift slightly against my chest and sniff my scent, I knew the answer immediately. _

_If Nessie –an angel herself- thought that I was the best daddy in the world, not to mention her own hero, who was I to argue?_

_And what was it that Bella always said? 'Would it be possible to create an angel like Nessie herself and have no soul'? 'Is it possible to love our child as much as you do without having a soul'?_

_Yes, I realized, she was right. It wouldn't be fair to continue calling myself a soulless monster because Nessie was as much part of me as her mother. So if I had no soul, did that mean that she doesn't as well?_

_One glance at the sleeping beauty in my arms, I knew that Bella was right –has been right- all along._

_Shouldn't I just enjoy all of their over exaggerated compliments? If they think that I'm a great person –which at times I know I'm not- shouldn't I just smile and accept it? Bask in the happiness my two angels are giving me? Isn't it about time –nearly a century- that I just let others love me and accept that love without question? _

_I looked down at the small sleeping girl in my arms and knew that today was finally the day that I would stop questioning her and Bella's love for me. _

_In fact, I should just be happy that I was the fortunate man that they chose to bestow their love upon._

_I looked at the time and date. Today, after nearly a century, I was just slowly accepting the idea that I'm not a monster, not a killer, not soulless…but just a man who made mistakes in the past but is willing to be a better person for his loved ones. _

**-xXx-**

"I know what you're thinking, Edward, and don't even think that an ounce of that is true. You are _not_ a monster," Bella whispered firmly, bringing me back to the present.

I just nodded my head, not completely agreeing with her but I didn't want to argue with her. "It's just…how can you sit there and just love me like you did days before you found out about this? Now that you know about my dark past? Doesn't it repulse you? Aren't you repulsed by _me_?" I asked her, insecurities filling my mind.

I looked down, not having the courage to meet her eyes, fearing the worst. She tilted my chin up, my face still cradled in her arms.

"Sweetheart, if the situation was reversed, would you stop loving me? You were _violated_ against your will by someone you trusted; would you blame me if the same thing happened to me? Would you hold me responsible for something I had no control over?" She asked me while holding my gaze firmly, the love in her golden eyes staggering me.

I shook my head and said, "No, of course not. It just makes me feel less of a man knowing that I didn't have enough control over my body to resist someone that I never even loved. I shouldn't have gone to her room in the first place. I should have followed my instic-"I said helplessly, thinking everything through and all of the things that I could've done better to prevent all of this.

"Oh, honey, I'm sure that you can have as many _could've, should've, would've _but in the end, the past is the past. It's over and done with now so there's no point on dwelling on the past and regretting things. How about we just read the rest of the diary, huh? But let's skip the pregnancy part since we already know that she carries your child, alright?" Bella asked, trying to be brave.

Bella may have improved at her acting skills and gotten better at hiding her emotions since turning into a vampire, but since I was so good at reading her facial expressions, I saw the fleeting look of sadness wash over her.

The sad look about Susannah having a child with me was gone in a second, turning her face into a smooth unreadable one.

I knew that Bella and I needed to talk about how she _really_ felt about me fathering a child with Susannah, but I could sense that she –like I- needed time to fully process things.

So like the patient man I was trying to be, I didn't question or press her, I just sat quietly while reading the diary over her shoulder.

**-xXx-**

_September 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_I did it! I finally did it! I am happy to say that I am pregnant with Edward's child. I couldn't have been happier when I found out that my monthly bleeding hadn't come. _

_Unfortunately, the only bad thing about this pregnancy was that I kept throwing up my food every morning. Mother had to keep a basin stationary nearby because she claimed that she cared about me and didn't want me to be too tired running to the bathroom in the early hours of dawn._

_But let's face it…that is a bunch of horse dung! Mother and father couldn't have been more disappointed in me had I gotten pregnant with a cow. They were mad at me that I was an unwed pregnant lady. But I think that the fact that I was at least __**engaged**__ got them off my back._

_It was weeks before they found out that I was pregnant –due to my "vomiting in the ass crack of dawn"- and more weeks for Mother and Father to at least look at me without disgust in their eyes._

_They even asked me who the father of the baby was! I'm sure I've never heard of anything more scandalous in my life! As if I would bed and be bedded by anyone other than Edward Masen Jr. _

_If it wasn't for the mere fact that I wasn't engaged to one of the richest and coveted man in town, I'm sure Mother and Father would have thrown me out of the house without a second thought. _

_Edward still had no clue about my pregnancy, but I would tell him all about it soon. But every passing day that he didn't talk to me or confront me was a good day. He still hadn't cancelled our engagement and for that I was grateful._

_But why hasn't he called me yet? He is one of the most polite men I've known and is a gentleman through and through…so wouldn't he have at least called me? And even if he was mad at me, shouldn't he have confronted me and cancelled the wedding? _

_What was wrong with Edward and why hasn't he called me yet?_

_**-**_**xXx-**

**(BPOV)**

"Hmmm, this reminds me of when I was still human and you ran away from me the first day in biology. It seems like you do that with every woman you meet. I wonder where human Edward was hiding," I mused teasingly, hoping to at least cheer him up.

It did. The corner of his mouth lifted up ever so slightly, giving me a glimpse of my favorite crooked smile of his.

Suddenly, as soon as his small smile came, it disappeared and his eyebrows furrowed.

I asked him immediately what was wrong. I seriously hope that he wasn't going all emo and "i-am-a-monster" on my ass. I thought that I finally shook him out of his self-loathing stupor and I knew that I wasn't willing to see my poor husband go through that again.

I guess love made people do things that they never thought they would do for someone. Although Edward and I had the conversation about him being soulless and monster, I knew that I would reassure him every time he doubted himself and his self-worth. I would always be patient to him and love him the way that he thinks he doesn't deserve.

As it turns out, I was completely wrong because Edward wasn't even brooding over being a "soulless monster".

"Love, I think that I –or at least my human self- wasn't hiding. I think that I just caught the Spanish Influenza at that time. I still remember how the doctors were really strict and adamant about having the patients as isolated as they could be to prevent the epidemic from spreading." He said while closing his eyes, no doubt trying to search through his vague human memories.

I let out a gasp at his words. I knew that I had to face the fact that Susannah and Edward were together –at least physically- but I never knew that I had to read about the other things that happened in his life as well.

While I knew that he was safe and sound all wrapped around me, I now had to read about his time being sick; albeit that Susannah even took the time to write about his illness –considering the fact that she even _found out_ about him being sick.

Could I do that? Could I read about the time when my husband was sick? Could I survive reading about his illness? Could I take knowing that my overprotective and powerful husband was nothing more than a frail human barely even surviving back in his time? Would I go crazy knowing that he was so close to leaving me without even knowing that I was waiting for him in the twenty-first century? Would the fact that Carlisle _did_ come and managed to save Edward in the end be enough to get through this?

One look at my poor husband and I suddenly realized how selfish I was being…again. When would I realize that at times like these, I shouldn't be thinking about how _I_ would feel? What about him, how does _he_ feel knowing that his human memory –as vague and confusing as they may be- was a complete lie? Well…maybe not a complete lie, but somethings were different than he thought.

I turned around and stroked his cheek with my palm. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart? You think you can handle reading more?"

Edward just nodded placing his hand over my own and pressing them both into his cheek while snuggling closer to my palm.

"We should try to finish this soon. There's not a lot of pages left anyway so we might as well. I can do this, just as long as you stay with me," he said all the while staring into my eyes.

"Always," I replied just as intensely, sensing that he wasn't just asking for my presence to help him read the next part.

He pressed a kiss to my palm before turning me around to read the next diary entry.

**-xXx-**

_September 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_I cannot believe this! This is downright outrageous! It seems like luck, God, and everyone else in this damn universe was against me being with Edward!_

_At first I found out that he doesn't want to court me so what did I do? I put myself out there –time and time again- and hoped that he seized enough courage to officially court me. Which he did._

_But then what happens next? He's moving way too slow and it seems like he was stalling our engagement until he goes to war. I knew that during –or after- the war, he would come up with some stupid excuse to cancel our wedding. So what did I do? I came up with the most brilliant plan with Meredith and cornered him and got him to fill my belly with his child. Which I did._

_And then what happens next? The worst kind of luck hits me! I don't even think that anyone can be as __**unlucky**__ as me!_

_Days ago, I decided that I would finally confront Edward and tell him that I was mothering his child. I was done with him hiding and I needed to inform him before he went to war. And besides, no one could know –except my parents and Meredith- that this baby was created without marriage first. I needed to tell Edward about his child so we could get married and I could fit in my wedding dress without looking like a fat cow._

_Easy enough, right? NOT! I took the local carriage to his house and I was told some terrible news. There, I was greeted by their very own house helper, Lucinda, outside of their front gate and was told that the Masens somehow caught the deadly Spanish Influenza._

_It completely took me by surprise because Edward Sr., his wife, and their son were very fit people. They were not an ounce overweight and were one of the wealthiest family in town so how in the world did they happen to catch the epidemic? _

…

"_What?! The Masens with the Spanish Influenza? How is that even possible? As far as I know it's only been spread in the lower east side of Manhattan so how in the world did it spread all the way over here? Besides, don't they have more than enough money to get their proper medicine?"_

_Lucinda just shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not, Miss Stanford. Mr. Edward Sr. caught the epidemic weeks ago and chalked it up to stress and the regular flu. You know how stressful it is in their law firm and he knew that he when stressed, it is quite possible to catch a small flu."_

"_Fine, maybe he is sick. But how about Auntie Elizabeth and Edward? Shouldn't they be okay? His father didn't get them sick, right?" I asked, already fearing the worst._

"_I'm afraid so, Ms. Susannah. You know how different the Masens are. Mr. Edward and Ms. Elizabeth sleep together –unlike most other wedded couples- so she caught the flu days after him. Again, she didn't think twice about it, knowing that her husband was strong enough to not catch the influenza," the helper explained while fighting tears._

_It was true; the Masens were far more different than everyone in town. While most married couples, slept in separate bedrooms after creating the amount of children they wanted because the wives' jobs were done, Auntie and Uncle were different._

_Auntie Elizabeth –as she told me to call her- and her husband actually…loved each other. Who knew that someone in this dreary old town filled with old fashioned people were actually capable of falling in love and then marrying them without it all being arranged?_

_That's why I knew that Edward and I were meant to be because we loved each other, right? _

_**Well if he loved you so much, then why did he tell you multiple times 'no' when you were trying to get his seed to fill you?**__ my subconscious asked._

_Again, I questioned my actions for the millionth time. It seemed so right to bed Edward but is that what he actually wanted?_

_Of course he did…I was his childhood best friend. Or at least the closest friend he had because he never talked to anyone much. He was such a quiet boy that was too polite for his own good…_

_**Yes and you took advantage of that**__, my subconscious reminded me again._

_I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Now was not the time to be feeling guilty right now. I needed to find Edward and tell him about this child. _

_Strangely, I pictured myself apologizing to him for…bedding him against his will. When I imagined seeing him again, I didn't want to force his child on him –a child he may not have even wanted…at least not with me- I just wanted to let him know._

_The other different thing about the Masens? They treated their house helpers, gardeners, employees as if they were a part of their family. Where most people would just be mean and strict to their workers, the Masens actually went out of their way to make them feel welcome and cared for._

"_Well, what about Edward Jr.? Is he fine? Please tell me he's fine. He's too young for this. They're all too young for this," I begged her; the tears streaming down Lucinda's face answer enough._

_I shook my head, refusing to accept the truth. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was immediately dizzy. The whole neighbor hood was shaking and someone…or something was making a sound like an animal would if they were hurt._

_All of a sudden I felt a pair of hands grab a hold of my shoulders and embraced me in a tight hug. Lucinda grabbed my shoulder blades firmly, making me realize that there wasn't an earthquake going on but it was me shaking._

_She gently rocked me back and forth rubbing my back like she did when Edward and I were kids to stop my sobbing. _

_It took me a couple of minutes to at least stop my tears and breathe normally. _

"_Can I see them? Just for only a little while? I promise it'll be very quick," I pleaded desperately._

_She shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not, Susannah. I would let you go but…its doctor's orders. No one, not even their closest friends, can visit them. This epidemic is so contagious right now that it won't take that much contact between you and the victims to catch it. Don't worry, they'll get better."_

_I tried to believe her. I did. But when I looked up, I could see exactly what she was trying to hide._

_Doubt._

_I really hope the Masens get well soon. I have to apologize to Edward and tell him about this child. I hope it's not too late._

**-xXx-**

I heaved a small sigh. It looks like Susannah –or anyone- wasn't allowed to see Edward and his family. So does that mean that she won't be able to write about Edward slowly dying because of this influenza?

I sure hope not…

"Well, it looks like she wasn't allowed to even pay you guys a short visit. Was it like that for every patient and their visitors?"

His eyebrows furrowed, something that he always did whenever he thought about his murky human memories. "I think so, love. I remember that when my parents caught the influenza, I soon followed. And I know that no sooner were they diagnosed with the Spanish Influenza, they quickly died. I, on the other hand, was saved by Carlisle. As you already know," he said, attempting to soothe my fears; somehow sensing that it was hard for me to read about his illness as a human even though I haven't even told him yet.

I just nodded and get back to the diary. I just wanted to see if she wrote an entry about him –that is if she even saw him one last time before he "died".

**-xXx-**

_Mid-September, 1918_

_Dear Diary,_

_The day that I dreaded has finally come. The Masens were found dead this morning. _

_The worst part? I wasn't even there when they all passed away and I never even got to say good-bye to them or talk to them before they died._

_And you know who's fault this all was? My parents were the ones to blame._

_They forced me and my siblings –along with their wives- to relocate to New York. More and more people –rich and poor, healthy and unhealthy- started catching the epidemic. No one was safe._

_No amount of money could even save you –the Masens the perfect evidence for that. So many people around the neighborhood were getting sick that doctors stopped favoring the wealthy over the poor. _

_You had money? Well, go to a hospital that followed the rule: customers that have money are always right. Instead of our local hospital that went by the rule: first come, first served._

_I sighed and looked around my new room in New York. It was still as big as ever but I missed my friends and my life in Chicago. As I was looking around, I caught sign of the shiny diamond adorning my ring finger._

_Everything that happened the past month was still as clear as if it happened yesterday. From the day that my parents told us that we were relocating to New York to the day that I met William and his proposal._

…

"_Susannah? Can your father and I talk to you? Your brothers already know about this news so you're the only one we have to talk to," my mother asked me timidly as I was reading in the library._

"_Of course, Mother. Something wrong?"_

_She just shook her head then motioned for my father to tell me what was going on._

"_Susannah, -as you are probably aware about- the epidemic is spreading quickly around this neighborhood," he said. _

_What did this contagious influenza have anything to do with this "news"?_

_I gasped. "Did anyone we know catch it?"_

_Father just shook his head and clarified. "No, at least…not yet." He said. At my confused expression, he continued on. "Susannah, I'm sure you' know that anyone –and I mean __**anyone**__- can catch it. It's totally unpredictable. So your mother and I decided that it would be better if we relocated to New York to make sure we're safe."_

_Did I hear him correctly? Relocating to New York? Was he out of his mind?_

"_But father! We can't! My –our- life is here! In Chicago, not New York. We can't just possibly move there. Do you expect us to just up and move over there?"_

_His eyes flashed with anger, something that always happened when someone disrespected him. _

_I knew that he would never listen to me if I yelled at him. "I mean, we can't just do that, Papa. I love it here. Once in a while, I may call it boring, but this is my home. Just the thought of moving to New York…"_

_His eyes softened considerably when I called him 'Papa', the name I always used when I wanted to get away with something._

"_I'm sorry, Susannah, but your brothers already agreed to it. Come on, sweetheart. You know that this influenza is really deadly and completely unpredictable. Look what happened to the Masens, what happened with their young son."_

_That one name was enough to make me explode. "What?! So that's just it? My brothers agree to it and we're moving to New York? What about __**me?**__ What about __**my**__ opinion? You talked to everyone but me about this because you knew that I would want to stay here. Without even telling me, you were ready to take me away from the only home I've known?"_

"_Sweetheart, you know that's not it. This is for your own good. I know you feel sad that Edw-"my mother attempted to convince me._

"_Get out! OUT! Both of you! You don't know anything!" I cut her off._

_My father immediately turned protective the minute I raised my voice at his wife. "Susannah! You will not talk to your mother like that! We're moving to New York and that is it! The Masens already passed away, are you willing to follow their footsteps? Don't be like this. We'll move to New York and then there, we will have a fresh start."_

"_NO! __**You**__ can move to New York but __**my**__ arse is staying here!"_

"_This family, __**your**__ family, is moving to New York whether you like it or not. Start packing your things, young lady. We will be leaving in two days," father said sternly, putting a protective arm around my mother and dragging her out of the room._

_Just as the door slammed close, I swear my heart shattered along with it. _

_Not a second later, my knees gave out and I grabbed the closest thing to me –the back of a chair- and sank down the soft carpet._

_I understood why my parents wanted to move to New York, I really did. But…what about my life here? My friends?_

_**And…you're worried about Edward, right? Don't you think that your parents are right? He's gone, maybe it's time for a fresh start, **__my subconscious suggested._

_I released a sigh, something that I always did whenever my subconscious –and my parents- was right._

_Maybe…it was time to move on. Sure, I didn't get to apologize to Edward for everything that I did; but maybe if I can't apologize about my mistakes, I could __**fix**__ them instead._

_Immediately, my hand started stroking my growing belly. This baby –whether it was a girl or a boy- was not a mistake. Maybe it was –at least the way I created it- but it wasn't now._

_Although I knew that Edward would be a terrific father –had he known he was a father in the first place- now I not only have to take the role of a mother, but the father's as well._

_Suddenly, memories -which seemed like they were from another lifetime ago- of how I heard and saw my friends struggled about having a newborn baby went through my mind._

_I knew –based on what my friends told me and what I learned- that raising a baby was already hard enough with the husband's support, much less if I had no one. _

_Wouldn't it be all that much harder since I was an unwed mother who had no one to lean on to for support?_

_**Oh, you know that's not true. Your parents –your brothers and their wives- are willing to help you…but they can't support you if you stay in Chicago while they move to New York…**__ my subconscious piped in, knowing that arguing about my baby's well-being would convince me to relocate._

_I ran my hand through my belly and quietly spoke to him or her. _

"_Alright, my baby. We're moving to New York."_

**-xXx-**

**(EPOV)**

"So I guess she moved to New York. I wonder what happened there. I hope she at least had a safe pregnancy," my love mused quietly, worry tinting her voice when she thought of another woman –someone I fathered a child with- in pain during her pregnancy.

Bella's capacity to love –even the people who hurt her- would never stop surprising me. I was so just so happy that I reaped most of her love.

"I don't know, love. But considering that there was or is a baby means that she at least gave birth to it successfully –painful or not, she still gave birth." I still couldn't take calling this…_baby_ my son.

How could I? He's a legit proof that I ever touched –and was touched in return- by another woman other than my wife.

I just hope that there would be no more surprises or any other information that would hurt Bella more.

**-xXx-**

_June, 1919_

_Dear Diary,_

_Sometimes when I take a step back and reflect back on my life now, it seems like my life in Chicago was a lifetime ago. Has it only even been a year since my life changed for the better? _

_And yes, moving to New York has changed my life for the better._

_I don't know if it was because I was able to get a fresh start, away from all of the guilt and sorrow I experienced in Chicago. Of course the guilt over what I did to Edward never went away; it just became easier to deal with outside of our hometown._

_Or maybe it was because moving here, I was able to fully focus on my newborn baby along with the support of my family. I doubt that if I stayed in Chicago, I wouldn't curse my child for being the living proof of my old childhood friend. That I wouldn't hate on it every time I saw his face because he was the splitting image of Edward. _

_Or maybe, just maybe, the most important reason (second of course to my little baby) why I now loved my decision to move here was because of William._

_It's a good thing that you actually can't hear me now because every time I thought or talked about him, I would release a love-sick sigh (or so I've been told by my family)._

_If someone told me that I would meet and fall in love –and actually __**truly**__ love, not because of just some arrangement- a man in New York, I would've laughed in your face…or asked if you put a pinch more sugar in your oatmeal._

_I thought men like William didn't exist. I didn't know –but now I do- that it is actually possible to love someone just because you do and not feel forced about it. I didn't know that someone as kind and accepting as him could ever love a hopeless girl like me who made mistakes left and right._

_I didn't even know men who accepted you for who you are truly existed. What I didn't realize was that a man like William could actually love another man's child as if they were their own. _

_But –unbelievable as it is- William was my saving grace._

_Somehow, he thinks that __**I'm**__ his saving grace…which couldn't have been more wrong._

_He and I met when I visited my father's law firm and brought him lunch because mother couldn't make it. It turned out that William and my father worked at the same law firm._

_At that time, my belly was slightly showing…if I wore tight clothes. My beloved corsets stopped fitting me when I started to grow more and more._

_But when I did meet Wil, I was wearing a loose sweater with even looser skirts so he couldn't tell that I was pregnant. Since my father's new office was huge, I ended up getting lost._

_Guess who saved me and toured me around?_

_William, of course._

_We talked and talked about just random stuff on the way to my father's office. I learned that he was the youngest lawyer in the firm, having made partner at only twenty. He was an only child and so were both of his parents. He was well-spoken (a tad bit on the quiet side), wealthy but didn't like to flaunt his money to others, and most importantly: he wasn't courting anyone._

_His intelligence and politeness not only made me happy that he wasn't with someone at the moment, but his good looks were a bonus too._

_He had dirty blonde hair that was neatly trimmed and gelled, bright blue eyes, and a smile that just about melted my lady bits._

_We talked and sooner or later, he was already courting me. Whenever he would kiss my hand or cheek, hold the door open for me, and hold my bags so I didn't "tire myself out", a little pitter patter went through my heart._

_Every beat that was a little bit faster before I saw him sent me into a whirlwind of confusion._

_Was I feeling guilt now that I was slowly moving on from Edward?_

_**Was**__ I moving on with Edward?_

_And how come –as many times that I thought that I loved Edward- I felt things with William that I never felt for someone I've known practically my whole life?_

_Would it be wrong if I was starting to…like another man besides Edward? _

_What would happen to my baby? _

_How would William react to me being unwed and pregnant with someone else's child?_

_Should I just lie to him and tell him that this baby was his?_

_**No, of course not. You've already made mistakes in the past. Don't lie to William…you can't fix a mistake caused by lies with another lie…**__my subconscious said._

_So in the middle of our courtship, I told William that I was carrying another man's child in my belly. I expected him to call me improper lady-like names and banish me from his sight, but he surprised me again._

_He asked me who the father was and where he was now. I answered him truthfully, where it began –that before I met William, I was a status and money-hungry fiend- to how I've changed. I told him that ever since I met him, I felt things I never felt for Edward._

_After my revelation, he just continued on showering me with affections, always reassuring me whenever we got weird looks from neighbors outside._

_People would look at my growing belly and then immediately flash to my bare ring finger. Yes, at times, I felt like a disgrace for being an unwed pregnant lady; but, I stopped caring about my appearance ever since I realized that I took advantage of Edward._

_At situations like that, the __**old**__ Susannah would've done something drastic to ensure that I was wed to William before anyone noticed that it wasn't his child I was carrying._

_But that __**new**__ Susannah learned that you can't rush –nor force- anything. If I ended up marrying William, then it'll happen and I'll know that I never forced him or took advantage of his love._

_It turned out that I was right- William did love me… faults and all enough to marry me._

_We didn't really have the ideal wedding experience like my old friends in Chicago did because when he proposed –and __**really**__ proposed, without it having to be arranged- I was already huge._

_We got married at a church –much to my parents' pleasure- and William raised my son as his own._

_Where most men would resent my son because it wasn't his own, William loved and cared for him as if he was the real father. It was even William who suggested that I name my –our- son in remembrance of Edward. He wanted our son to grow up and know that he had one father who died before he had the pleasure to meet him and one who would love him just as unconditionally._

_Thus my son was named Anthony Masen Collins and was born on June 12, 1919._

**-xXx-**

**(EPOV)**

I let out a long sigh as I processed the entry. I expected myself to feel jealous –hateful and resentful even- over this William guy for raising and loving…my son as his own.

Because I sure as hell would be jealous of anyone who took my place and took care of my little Nessie; but, with William raising Anthony, all I felt was…gratitude.

I guess I was just happy and thankful that Anthony was raised by someone who treated him right.

It would've made me guiltier if I found out that he was mistreated by his step-father for missing his biological father due to the influenza.

I looked at my Bella who was biting her lip, a sign that she was deep in thought.

Would I do the same as William if given the same circumstance? If Bella had another child from another man, would I have raised the child as if he or she was my own?

As I tucked a stray strand of my love's hair behind her ear, I knew that the answer to all of the questions was yes.

I would've loved any child –whether it may be mine or someone else's- as long as it was Bella's. If she were to have another child, I would've loved it just as much as I love Nessie simply because it was a part of her.

Doesn't mean that I wouldn't be jealous as hell that someone else touched her; but I would still love and care for the child.

"Something on my face?" Bella said teasingly, while patting her face for any marks.

I knew for a fact that if she were human, my love would've blushed.

"No, love. I was just thinking."

"Hmmm, penny for your thoughts, Mr. Cullen?" She asked questioningly, trying to keep her tone light because I guessed my expression was too intense to be thinking about something inconsequential.

"I don't need a penny, Mrs. Cullen. How about a kiss instead?" I replied while kissing the corner of her mouth.

I felt her lips turn up into a small smile before I felt her slightly fuller bottom lip nibble mine.

After a couple of short seconds, she put her hands against my chest and pulled away slightly.

"Nice try, sweetheart. But tell me what's really bothering you, huh?" she gently pried while running her hands through my hair.

I sighed. If my wife was good at anything, it was getting information out of me. She knew when I needed space and when I needed to be pushed before I shut down. She didn't force me to tell her things but I knew that some gentle prying from her and my mouth would be running like a faucet with things that were bothering me.

"It's just..." I struggled to explain my thoughts.

She just nodded encouragingly at me. The other good thing about my Bella? She never laughed nor made fun of things that were bothering me. Yeah, she may make a couple of jokes and tease me but I knew that I could tell her anything without getting judged.

"Well, I was thinking, aren't you disgusted by me? I mean, I fathered another child with another woman. Don't you want to be as far away from as possible? Please don't get me wrong. I'm _glad_ that you're not running for the hills or worse, filing for divorce, but why? How can you be so…so…_calm_ about this?" I continued, finally managing to phrase what was bothering me.

A small sad smile graced her beautiful face. "Calm? That's the last thing that I am feeling right now, sweetie. But what can I do? Yes, I thought that I would want to be like the evil stepmothers in one of Nessie's fairytales knowing that you have a son out there. But what's the point? It's not your son's fault that you were violated, that he was the _product_ of it. It's not right to blame him for something he had no control over; it's not his fault that he was not conceived at the ideal way. And besides, he's a part of you. Your blood –your human blood- runs in his veins, a little bit of my Edward is a part of him, how can I hate him?"

Ass. That's what I felt like. I felt like an ass. Why couldn't I just stop questioning her love for me? What if my doubt ended up pushing her away?

I crushed her to my chest and buried my nose in her long tresses. "I'm sorry, love."

"What for?" her voice slightly muffled by my t-shirt.

"That I'm being such an insecure little boy always questioning your love for me," I said, desperately trying to lighten my tone.

Of course, being my wife who knew me so well, Bella knew that despite my teasing tone, I was serious.

She pulled back and stroked my cheek with her small hand. "Oh don't even apologize for that, hon. You reassured me every time I feel…" I shot her a mild glare knowing what she was going to say. "…alright, _felt _insecure when I was a human. No matter how many times I felt inadequate next to you, you always made sure that I never felt an ounce of insecurity and doubt. Now it's my turn. You have nothing to be insecure about, sweetheart."

I just nodded, too overwhelmed by what she said. No matter how long we've been together, it still shocked me that someone like my Bella could love me. I was just lucky that _I_ was the one she picked out of her many admirers.

"Now how about we stop making overly sappy speeches and just continue reading, huh? I think we're almost done anyways. I think Susannah stopped writing in the middle of her twenties, there's not much pages and entries left," she requested while fingering the remaining pages.

"Yes, love. Imagine how Jasper would feel right now if he were here. I think all of these overwhelming emotions would just suffocate him. And God forbid, if Emmett was here. He would storm out of here the minute we started talking about feelings. God knows that he's the only vampire allergic of something: too much expressed feelings."

She giggled at that. "Well, I think that any man who has to talk about his feelings too much would do the same. How about we finish this so we can get you a boost of testosterone? You're getting a little…too unmanly with these talks and speeches about loooove," she teased, a flirty smile gracing her lips.

I chuckled but my throat constricted painfully, my laugh died as I actually thought about what she said.

After we take care of this…mess, we would have to come back to the house and talk to the others. Carlisle and Esme were the first to know about this. Carlisle because he was with me in Chicago when I found out about my son; and Esme… well it was simply because Carlisle couldn't –and wouldn't- keep a secret from his wife.

The others knew as well…to an extent. Yes, they knew that I fathered a child with someone else when I was a human, but that was pretty much it.

They didn't know the whole story: how I was violated by my old childhood friend, how I have a son, and all of the other stuff.

Explaining to them wouldn't be so bad, maybe Rosalie would be a little more challenging because she wanted a baby –but taking care of Renesmee was her outlet with her maternal instincts- but what about Nessie?

How would she react? Most importantly, how were we going to say this to her? How were we going to explain this to a two and half year old?

Would she even understand that I _didn't _cheat on Bella? That I fathered a child with someone else when I was _human?_

Although Nessie knew that we were vampires, could her little –yet slightly more mature- mind be able to understand this situation?

She was taught that once you loved, it was forever and that _true _love _does_ exist. It would be hard not to learn that considering that she's surrounded by four happy mated couples.

Involuntarily, a euphoric smile appeared on my face. No matter how many years passed, I would never tire of knowing that I was now mated. The thought that I was now included as one of the "mated Cullen pairs" never failed to put a smile on my face.

Weird for a man to say, huh? But let me just tell you…nearly a century of being a bachelor will no doubt change your perspective about finding your true love and finally settling down.

It didn't help that I was born and raised during my time. An era where a man –as wealthy and successful as he was- was not considered so unless he found a wife and settled down.

Bella's smile disappeared as her train of thoughts led her to the same destination as mine.

"Love, what's going to happen? How are going to tell Nessie? She'll never forgive me. She won't-"I moaned, my forehead resting on her shoulder.

She turned around and tilted my face up. "Nessie might be too young to fully grasp this news but I do know one thing. She loves you. You're her superhero, the best father in the world, and her best friend that always gets her out of trouble with me. She will love you, _no matter what_," she reassured me with such convict that it left no room for doubt…for now.

"Now, let's just finish reading. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can explain this all to Nessie. And I'm pretty sure she'll be awake soon from her nap. You know her, always asking for everyone right after her daily afternoon sleep."

I chuckled at that. Nessie was just too adorable for her own good. After every nap, she would rub her small fists to her eyes and her mouth would form the cutest 'o' when yawning. After that, she would then sweetly ask where the rest of the family where. If they weren't close by, she would then ask if they were okay.

What can I say? My baby was too cute and sweet.

I just nodded and got back to our reading position: my arms around my love's slender waist, the book in her lap, my chin resting on her shoulder, her silky hair rubbing pleasurably along my left cheek, and her strawberry scented shampoo perfuming the air.

Susannah wrote for a while –sometimes stopping for days and not continuing a while later due to taking care of Anthony when he was just a small child- that is until she went to school and pursued her job.

It may seem odd to hear that she was in her mid-twenties before she even went to collage to get a degree, but not in her era.

Back in the 1920's, men were just slowly starting to wrap their minds around the idea of women going to school to get a proper education to get a job. Although women did go to school, –and some were smarter than men- they were still underpaid.

I knew that back in my human years, -right before the influenza hit- that women were big on making suffrage movements to legalize women voters.

Men in Illinois were very…sexist. I suppose you could call them that. They wanted to earn and bring home the bacon, so to speak. They felt that it was their job and responsibilities as the head of the house to be stronger and more successful than their wives.

Yes, women back then grew up knowing that they were the weaker sex and their only job was to stay home and take care of their husbands and children.

Men wanting to be the stronger sex –physically and economically wise- was considered an act of heroism and a way to truly prove that you were gentleman. I mean, what kind of a woman –back in the 20's- would have wanted to get down and dirty in their skirts and fancy dresses? But that alone right there bordered on tyranny, even I could admit that.

_Hmmm, maybe that's why you can be so overbearing and overprotective over Bella, Especially when she was a human. So this is where you get your control issues from…_

_Shut up! I am not a control freak…I just want her to be protected and safe at all times…_

"Wow, what a strong lady. Definitely don't want to get on her bad side," my wife blew out an quiet whistle.

"I agree, love. It's a good thing that her husband loved her enough to let her work. I know for a fact that many men back in my human era would've only wanted their wives to stay at home."

"Well, if that William guy controlled her and didn't let her pursue her job, I would gladly beat his grave right now," she said, a sassy tone tinging her voice.

I didn't say anything for fear that I would say something wrong and end up on the receiving end of her fierce tone.

"And besides, if you were William and I were Susannah, would you have controlled me and forced me to be a stay at home mom? Not that I wouldn't love to stay with any child that we shared together, but you know that I would end up getting bored and antsy when they're at school and I'm at home," she asked, her eyebrows raised.

_Oh shit, Cullen! Abort! Abort! This is a test…must say the right thing. We don't want to end up in the dog house tonight do we? Geez, how does Nessie take these raised eyebrows and this mommy-stance? Is it possible for a vampire to shit in his pants?_

"Of course, love. I would have allowed you to do your…thing," I said, my voice cracking pathetically towards the end.

Her perfectly manicured eyebrows raised even higher, a small smirk on her soft lips. "Really? Would you now, darlin'? Are you sure? You, Edward Cullen –a man who freaks out and gets frustrated the minute the smallest things don't go your way- would be _willing_ to let the woman –me- bring home some money in the house?" she asked coyly.

I smiled sheepishly. "Okay…maybe I wouldn't be comfortable with that. But I wouldn't force you to stay where you are unhappy. I'd just try to give you the best that I could with every penny I earned. Besides, if I could save you from getting tired during work, why wouldn't I? I love you, Bella," I threw in the last part for good measure.

She just rolled her golden eyes at me and stroked my cheek affectionately. "Nice try, hon. But we all know that you would _hire_ my employers and force them to give me my salary without me having to work."

I didn't even bother to deny it.

I told you she knew me too well, didn't I?

**-xXx-**

**(BPOV)**

We skimmed along all of the entries that were just full of information about Susannah and her family's life in New York.

Edward and I read about her experiences about being a first time mom. It was funny actually, although I was a vampire when I first experienced motherhood and she as a human, our thoughts was very similar.

She talked constantly about the stress and the fatigue that came with taking care of a newborn baby but how it was worth it in the end. How every time little Anthony cried –no matter how small or big the reason was; whether he was just hungry or was in pain- it pierced through her heart.

I could say the same for Nessie. I couldn't ever imagine a time where I could stomach the thought of my baby in pain.

While reading, I learned anything to everything about Anthony.

He was just like any boy. He loved to bike, play baseball in the park with his dad, , loved to eat, and loved to play with toys.

When I told Edward that although I haven't met or known Anthony for long, I didn't feel any hatred for him. I was telling the truth when I told him that since a part of my husband runs in his veins, there was no way I could hate him.

There was a bunch of nice stories and not so nice stories (whenever Anthony was throwing a tantrum and going through his terrible twos and threes) throughout most of the entries.

Susannah ended up going snagging the much coveted job as the local librarian (due to her husband's continuous support and love) when Anthony turned five.

But like every married couple, Susannah and William had to go through some horrible things. Susannah –as she wrote in her diary- had a miscarriage with her second baby. She was riding a horse and fell. She was rushed to the hospital and found out that she miscarried without even knowing she was pregnant.

I didn't know if I could survive what she went through. I still didn't know which was worse.

Getting a miscarriage _before _knowing you were pregnant? Or having a miscarriage _while _knowing you were pregnant?

Her entries after the horrible news were sad and a bit bitter but she and her husband worked through it. I guess they were just happy and contented that they at least had Anthony.

Susannah stopped writing soon after she got her job due to her busy schedule, I suppose.

Sooner than we thought, we finished the diary. It didn't say what date or how Susannah and her husband died. Not even any more information about Anthony –whether he was dead or still alive, it was a mystery.

Although my back was turned, I knew my husband well enough to know that he needed time to process all of this new information.

I opened the smaller and thinner manila folder along with the other evidences and looked at all of the important information not written in the diary.

Along with birth certificates and the picture, there was just a thin sheet of paper with a bunch of nameless dates.

I picked it up and looked more closely. At the top of the page, there was a small note.

_Due to the hospital's confidentiality rule, we are not allowed to post the full synopsis of their deaths. Only a brief summary will be found here. If you find that you need more information, please contact the hospital in Chicago._

Right below it was the address of the hospital.

I scanned the paper and read the information. It had all of their death dates and the causes of their deaths printed on it.

_Susannah Collins: 1901-1994_

_Cause of Death: Old age_

_William Collins: 1900-1985_

_Cause of Death: Pneumonia _

Before I even had time to process their deaths, another pair of information nearly made my still heart break.

I immediately turned around to see how Edward was holding up. He had his eyes closed and his forehead was creased. I'm guessing he hasn't read the paper yet.

I hated the thought that I had to burst his little bubble, but someone had to do it.

I gently lifted his head off of my shoulder and cradled it in my hands. "Edward, sweetheart. I'm sorry but you have to see and hear this," I softly threaded my fingers through his coppery hair.

I looked down at the bottom of the page and forced my lips to form the words that I knew would crush him.

He looked at me in confusion as I finally forced the words out.

"Anthony Masen Collins. Date of Death: 1919-1979. Cause of Death: heart attack," I whispered.

* * *

**A/N: What do you guys think? I'm sorry that Anthony died before we had the chance to meet him. But don't worry, you'll be falling in love (or I hope) with another guy (it's not Edward). *hint* *hint***

**What do you guys think about having an outtakes for this story, huh? Leave a review of all of the missing moments you want to read about!**

**I told you bits and pieces of Edward's past makes him the person he is today. Slowly, you'll come across experiences and things from his human life that explains why he acts the way he does.**


	5. Explanations

**A/N: Still looking for a beta, but it looks like I'm getting nowhere with this search for one Do you guys even think I **_**need**_** a beta? Or is my punctuation and grammar right on? **

**Because once I post a chapter, I read it myself and I try to correct all of my mistakes. But I know that I am going to make a mistake and miss it sooner or later. And I personally hate reading stuff on FF when they have grammar errors.**

**Let me know what you think and leave a review!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Explanations**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

Dead? My…son was dead? At only the age of 60?

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," my love said, crushing me against her chest.

As she was stroking my hair soothingly, I was at a loss for words.

I expected it –actually knew that the chances of it being true was close to 99.9%. What I just didn't expect was this…feeling.

I felt like someone gave me something that I had never even dared to ask for –another child- and then when I finally embraced the idea of having one, Anthony was taken away from me before I even had the chance to meet him.

"Do you want to talk about yet, hon?" Bella asked.

"It's just…I can't believe that he died so young. Sixty might not be young for others but considering how old people get nowadays, that's really young. I don't even remember what I was doing when he died. _How_ did he die?"

Actually I did know what I was doing. Maybe not specifically _that_ _day,_ but I was probably at some random school at a rainy location, clueless that my son was dying out there in the world somewhere.

"How would you know that he died, Edward? You just found out that you had a son in less than a week. It says here that the hospital wouldn't give away any more information, just a brief explanation. Let's just finish looking at this page so we can find out as much as we can, alright?"

I just nodded, not prepared to read how my son died but too curious _not_ to find out.

We kept reading the page and looked at the rest of the information. Sadly, there were no pictures, I'm guessing due to the "hospital's rules".

Along with Susannah's, her husband's, and Anthony's information, there were three more people included.

_Sarah Anderson: 1963-2010_

_Cause of Death: Car crash/accident_

_Robert Anderson: 1964-2011_

_Cause of Death: Acute alcohol intoxication/alcohol poisoning_

_Riley Anderson: 2008-present_

I distinctly heard my love heave a loud sob.

"Oh, Edward! This Riley…he's still alive! I wonder how you're –or at least your human self- is related to him," she said, reading the rest of the paper to see if there was a picture.

I did the mental calculation in my head. If Anthony was my son, then either this Sarah or Robert was his child…that would make me their grandpa.

Grandpa…how weird. A grandpa at only seventeen –or at least physically? I already had a grandchild yet not a strand of white hair, no wrinkles on my face, no cane to support my ailing back…

_Looks like you still got it, Gramps…_

_Oh shut up. If I'm a grandpa, then so are you. We're the same person…_

But it doesn't stop there. There's one more name. Is this Riley –sounds like a guy- my _great-grand child?_

Could vampires faint from being overwhelmed? I suddenly went from being a father of only one child –well two, if you counted Anthony- to a grandpa to a _great_ grandpa.

"Woah, sweetheart, you okay? You look a little pale…well _paler_ than usual," Bella said, massaging my scalp knowing that it soothed me.

"This is just a lot to take in, you know? I mean I just went from knowing that none of my human relatives are alive to now being a _great grandfather!"_ my voice rising hysterically at the end.

Bella just giggled at my frazzled state. "Oh, honey, we don't even know if Riley is your great-grand child. We don't even know who's –whether it's Sarah or Robert- your _grandchild._ So let's just calm down, alright? Let's try to see if there's any more information."

The thing about mine and Bella's relationship when it came to being nervous or anything was quite funny actually. If I was nervous or scared about something, she was calm and collected. Then, if _she_ was the nervous one, _I'd_be the calm one.

As we've been told –gushed about- by my very nosy mother, we balanced each other out.

I didn't even bother to deny it.

Unfortunately, there was no more information or pictures about any of the other people listed down. On the bottom of the page were the phone number and the address of a hospital in North Carolina.

I guess they lived in North Carolina.

"Oh my gosh, I wonder how little Riley is holding up. It must be hard…both of his parents are dead. And he's only four! I hope he's okay. Hon, did it say here where he lives?" my wife said worriedly.

I knew that when she was human, she said she didn't want a child; but I knew that having Nessie made her realize that motherhood was a true gift –something many mothers took for granted.

And when talking about children, my love can't help her maternal instincts from erupting.

And trust me…there were times that those maternal instincts nearly did me in.

Her love for children and her big heart nearly made me go crazy at times. It felt like I was always competing for her attention at times. And no, I don't mean that in a stalkerish and crazy way. I had no intention to kill Nessie because my love loved her as well.

It's just that…well, it was a little challenging at times to be married to someone that everybody couldn't help but love. It also didn't help that being a vampire enhanced her already beautiful self.

She –along with Esme and the other Cullen women- would volunteer at centers in Port Angeles. They participated in organizations and helped campaigns all over the world –especially from the less fortunate countries. But the leaders and the participants in their campaigns didn't know them –nor have met them- because they didn't want to be invited somewhere sunny and risk our existence.

Since there were no volunteer centers in Forks, they had to drive all the way to Port Angeles to visit.

But here in Forks, Bella loved to visit schools –elementary schools the most- and donated books, writing utensils, and all of the other necessary school supplies that some children couldn't afford.

Like I told her when she was still human, when turning into a vampire, some of our human traits would still stick around. And I was right.

Although Bella could no longer eat human food, she still loved to cook. Not only for Nessie, Jake, and the pack, but also for her friends she cooked and baked for.

Sometimes, she and Esme would just randomly whip up a batch of homemade cookies and brownies for Carlisle to bring to the hospital.

Let me just tell you, if I were still human, I would have a toned stomach. I may find human food disgusting, but I could hear the thoughts of the people they graced their baked goods to that they were "heavenly".

And yes, they meant both the pastries _and_ my wife. Luckily, most of them were smart enough to _not_ hit on her; but some…well let's just say that they no longer had the privilege to eat my wife's "heavenly" pastries.

_My Lord, Edward, are you __**still**__ going on about this? Geez, Doctor Martin just complimented her brownies…_

_No he didn't! He complimented her brownies __**and**__flirted with her and sent her not-so-subtle hints that he wanted to ask her out…and she was wearing her wedding ring!_

_Okay, calm down dude. So what did you do? Withheld her brownies from him…real mature. Glad to know you passed Elementary School…_

My subconscious could say whatever he wanted. No one flirts with my wife and gets to eat her brownies ever again…not if I could help it.

Just the thought of _Dr. Martin_ flirting with _my_ wife was enough to get me growling.

What can I say? My wife is gorgeous, smart, and a good cook _and_ a baker. Beauty and brains with amazing cooking and baking skills.

I'm a very lucky guy.

"I don't think so, love. It only has the address and number of the hospital. What do you think we should do now?" I gently said, not wanting to push her.

Now that we saw all of the evidence and finished reading the diary, I desperately hoped that she wouldn't run away now.

"I think…we should go back to the main house. We should tell this to Nessie before she finds out from someone else. You know her, never likes to be in the dark."

I smiled at the thought. "Yes, well I'm sure she got that trait from _you_," I said, happy that Renesmee was truly our child, complete with some of our traits and personalities.

She giggled. "Really, she got that from _me? _And all of this is coming from the man who couldn't wait patiently to find out his present for Father's Day. If I didn't block her mind, you would've spoiled our surprise."

I chuckled at that, not even bothering to deny it. I fingered the dog tag necklace they gave me for Father's Day. That day, I felt like my smile would be permanently carved into my face. Had I been human, my cheeks would've hurt from grinning so much.

I ran my thumb on it, feeling the engraved words on it. A euphoric smile appeared on my face just by remembering what was carved on it. I could still remember my little Nessie's shy smile and tone as she read out loud the words engraved on my dog tag necklace.

_We love you forever, Daddy._

_Love, Mommy and Nessie._

The words on the front part were engraved around the edge of my necklace. In the middle of the short message, our first name initials all tangled around the letter "C" for Cullen.

On the back side of the necklace, were just a bunch of words that described me.

_Husband_

_Best Friend_

_Best Daddy _

_My Superhero_

Like I said, I was one lucky guy.

But just thinking about my tiny angel waiting for me back at the main house was enough for the doubts to start creeping into my mind again.

But Bella wouldn't let me question our angel's love for me. "Edward, must I tell you again? Nessie will love _no matter what_. When we tell her this, she'll still see you as her superhero, her best friend, and the best daddy in the world. Stop stressing over this."

I blew out a breath. "You're right." I chuckled. "Emmett would have a coronary if he saw me like this. A six foot and three man scared of a child that's barely three feet."

Bella giggled. "Hon, hope that Nessie never hears you say that. You know she hates it when you bring up her short height. She likes to think she's tall."

I chuckled at the idea of my small sassy two and a half year old reacting to what I said. "Yes, another thing she got from you…"

"What? The sassiness, the short height, or the fact that she likes to think she's tall," Bella asked coyly, looking up at me under her long lashes.

"Would I get in trouble if I said all of the above?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Cullen. _So much trouble_. So much that I'm afraid you need to be punished for that comment, huh?" she said, her voice an octave lower, more seductive.

If someone were to ask me what I loved the best about vampire Bella, I'd say it was her new confidence. She always had it; it just needed to be discovered. Now she could flirt and tease me all she wanted without blushing. Definitely thankful for that…

I suddenly had trouble breathing. Was it just me or was it getting a little hot in here?

She rose up on her knees and put both her dainty hands on my outstretched thighs. She ducked down and kissed my neck, licking my Adam's apple along the way.

Involuntarily, a shiver erupted from me. I could feel her lips forming a smug smile against my neck.

When I said Bella knew me, I really meant it. She knew what made me tick and what made me…shiver.

My Adam's apple? Yeah, definitely one of my sensitive spots.

Whispering in my ear? That's one of them as well.

The skin behind it? Also one of my sensitive spots.

Now when my love licked or flicked my nipples and chest with her delectable tongue? Now _that_ is definitely something I never expected to be sensitive.

"Well, it is true, love. Let's face it. You're a little on the…ahhh," I stopped midsentence, thanks to her scraping her teeth against my earlobe. "You're a little on the short side. Which is weird actually since Charlie is one tall guy; you must've gotten in from your mother. And you being short…well you like to think otherwise."

I knew that my comment would immediately ruin the mood, but it had to be done. I knew that we needed to tell Nessie and the others the whole story before I took my wife to our bedroom for the night.

She immediately pulled back. Yep, the mood was definitely broken. "Oh shut up. You love me being short anyways. And I don't think I'm tall, I _know_ I'm tall!" she retorted hotly.

What was that saying? 'Like mother, like daughter'? Both my girls were a little…sensitive about their heights.

_Yes, now shut your yap up, Cullen. You don't want to "show her the bedroom right now" but you will later tonight. Shut your mouth so you can stay out of the fucking dog house tonight!_

I chuckled and whispered, "…yeah next to Nessie."

She pulled back and crossed her arms. Oh shit! She's in her Momma-stance…this is not good. Time for some ass kissing…

"Love, you know I'm just kidding. I actually _love_ the fact that you're short. 'Cause you know…you have to wear heels…and God knows I _loooove_ you in heels. I love seeing your sexy legs in them, but I especially love fuc-"I attempted to say, running my hands along her smooth legs.

She clamped a hand on my mouth before I could actually finish my sentence. "I suggest you don't say those things around here, Mister. Unless you are willing to take care of my…problems right this minute."

I just kissed her palm. "Fine. I guess we really do need to get going. I'll behave, I promise," I said, mustering up my best innocent tone.

She just rolled her eyes at me when I held up my right hand as if I was taking an oath.

She got up on her feet and for the briefest moment, her shirt rode up, showing me her toned stomach and creamy skin.

Immediately, I started salivating just thinking about running my tongue along her sweet skin.

Bella looked down at me and by my expression, sensed where my thoughts were. "Wow, and you said you were gonna behave. C'mon, babe. We need to go tell Ness."

I smiled as she called me 'babe'. While I loved it when she called me 'sweetheart' or 'honey', I especially loved it when she called me babe.

She only called me "sweetheart" or "honey" whenever she thought that I needed tender loving, but "babe" well that was for…_something else._

_Geez, Cullen. You get married once and finally get laid and suddenly you're thinking about sex 24/7…are you sure your name isn't Emmett?_

_Shut up! Let me see you try and __**not**__ think about sex "24/7" if you had Bella as your wife…_

_Uhh, is all this sexual frustration messing with your brain? Last time I checked, we're the same person. Therefore, we're __**both**__ married to Bella, dumbass…_

I grabbed her hips, and pushed myself up the couch. I didn't really need the additional support; but sue me if I wanted to touch my wife.

I grabbed her hand and collected all of the evidence with my other arm.

We dashed towards the main house silently. My wife looked deep in thought and calm.

I, on the other hand, would've been sweating bullets had I been human.

How in the world was I going to tell this to my two and a half year old?

_Oh, sweetheart, you know you have a brother? But he's dead…but if he was alive, he'd be 93. _

_And your very young daddy is not only a grandpa, but a __**great-grandpa…**_

_And you…well you're a grand-aunt and a __**great-grand**__ aunt…_

Is there even such a thing as a "grand-aunt" and "great-grand aunt"?

Sooner than I anticipated, the silhouette of the main house appeared.

And as I heard my tiny daughter's slightly-faster-than-a-human's heartbeat, it felt like my own still heart was about to jump out of my chest.

_Oh if there is still a God out there somewhere, help me get through this…_

**-xXx-**

"Thatty! Mommy! You're back! I mithed ya guysh!" my little angel greeted us, a mouthful of ham and cheese sandwich in her small mouth.

Already transforming into the wonderful mother she was, Bella immediately grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped Nessie's mouth.

"Sweetheart, what did I say about talking with your full?" Bella asked, a tender tone taking over her voice, something that always happened when talking to kids…and me.

Nessie hastily swallowed her food and drank some milk from her sippy cup. "Sorry, Mommy. You said it's not proper lady etu…eti…itekut," she said apologetically, totally mispronouncing the word.

Everyone silently laughed at her mispronunciation; but thankfully, did so quietly. Nessie hated getting corrected and unless you wanted her fierceness and sassiness directed to you, you better watch it.

It seemed like I was the only one who managed to hold in my laugh, knowing full well how bad it was to be at the other end of my tiny angel's anger. "It's okay, sweetheart. Just don't do it again, alright? Now, princess, what have you been up to, huh?"

I knew what I was going into when asked her what she did and I knew that it was a dangerous move because well…my kid could _talk._

Once you asked her what she did, you could sit in front of her for hours as she talked her tiny head off. Is it just her? Or did all children talk about everything in their day so excitedly?

She giggled adorably before she took a deep breath to start her sentence…more like her _speech._ "I had such a fun day, Daddy! I went through Auntie Allie's and Unca Jazzie's closet and dressed up! I almost got lost, Daddy! It was so huuuuge," she then made gestures with her hands that were growing bigger and bigger with wide eyes.

"That's nice, sweethe-"I attempted to say but got cut off by my small angel.

"Daddy! Mommy said it's bad to interrupt! I wasn't even done yet. Soooooo, me and Auntie Allie dressed up as cowboys...oops _cowgirls._ She put me in these boots, gave me a cowboy hat, –it was so big it covered my eyes- and then she braided my hair in pigtails. Then Unca Jazzie put me on his back and pretended he was a horse…he even made all the noises! And then I fell asleep in their huge bed. And then I woke up. And then Auntie Rosie made me a sandwich. And then Unca Emmie watched cartoons with me. And the-"

As she was taking a breath, I decided to cut in because honestly I didn't know when another opportunity would arise. "Sweetheart, why don't you finish your snack, okay? Me and mommy have to tell you something," I said, scratching her back and gently turning her around to face the table again.

She nodded, some of her soft hair tickling my skin lightly when I leaned down to kiss her head.

I looked up and saw Bella's loving smile and the others smiling affectionately at little Nessie.

My love went to our angel's table, refilled her sippy cup with more milk, and sliced her sandwich into smaller pieces.

Nessie just ate up all of her mom's attention up and swung side to side while humming silently to herself.

Sooner than I wanted, Nessie finished her snack and dragged us to the sofa to watch her cartoons.

The others sat around us. Bella, Nessie, and I all occupied a large loveseat to the side.

I hated to do it, but I lowered the TV volume down a little. Nessie's little brow furrowed –no one ever messed with her cartoon time- but didn't complain.

"Ness, we –I- have to tell you something. Can you just listen for a little bit while Daddy talks?"

I held my breath, expecting a tantrum. Like her mother, little Nessie surprised me.

She abandoned her spot in between Bella and me and crawled into my lap. Nessie tugged on Bella's hand until she was closer to us.

"What's wrong, Daddy? Are you okay?"

"Yes, my angel. I just have to tell you some news, okay?"

She just nodded while softly stroking my cheek.

"Well, you know how Daddy and Gramps went to Chicago for a little bit?" At her nod, I continued. "Well, you know how I also have a house there? My house I lived in when I was a human kid?"

"Yeah…what about it, Daddy?" she pressed, sensing that I was hesitant to continue.

"Well, when Gramps and I went there, the realtor sa-"

"The what? The reltur?" she asked her brows furrowed, something she did when she was thinking hard about something.

"The _realtor. _R-E-A-L-T-O-R. He manages the house when I'm gone and takes care of all of the paper work."

At my explanation, she nodded dutifully and grinned up at me. My baby liked learning new stuff and when she didn't know a word, she would ask you to pronounce, spell, and define the word before she was content.

"Well, honey, the realtor said that I couldn't have the house, at least not yet," I said, not knowing how to tell her directly.

"Awww, I'm sorry, Daddy. I know how much you love that house. Did the rea…real…realter tell you why you couldn't have the house?"

_Here's your opening, Cullen. Take it. _"He did. And he said it was because I didn't _legally_ own the house. That only the living relatives of Edward Masen Senior and Elizabeth Masen owned the house."

Her forehead creased. "Okaaay…but aren't you their baby? I thought they were my other set of grandparents? Didn't the realter say that?"

"I know I'm their child and the legal owner of the house, sweetheart. But _they_ don't know that. They think that I was just a random man who bought the house. Honestly, they would've fully given me back the house but for some reason, the fact that my parents have living relatives came up. I guess they just found out that not all of the Masen descendants were dead."

"Really? Not all of them are dead? Who's still alive? Your mommy? Your daddy?" she said, innocence and excitement for me ringing in her voice.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I'm afraid not, baby girl. Both my parents are dead," she patted my cheek in sympathy while snuggling against my chest. "But it turns out I did have another…baby."

I waited with bated breath to how she was going to react.

"Baby? As it a small one like when I came out of mommy's tummy?" her voice curious, a hint of hope in it.

While Nessie may be showered with love and affection by my family and the pack, she still lacked the presence of another young child.

We couldn't afford the risk to send her to school…at least not yet.

She was a smarter and more mature than other children her age and still grew at a much faster rate. While she didn't grow as fast as we thought she was going to, she was still growing faster than normal.

"Yes, like a baby…a real baby."

"Really? I thought that I was the only child? Where did he come from? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy, sweetheart."

"Can I see him?" she said, bouncing lightly on my lap.

Oh my lordie, how I was I going to tell her that Anthony was dead?

"Angel, you see, well…" it's official. I was at a loss for words.

Thankfully, Bella came to my rescue. She tucked some of Nessie's stray hair behind her ear before talking to her.

"Nessie, darling, you know where heaven is right?"

Nessie nodded, while flashes of Bella and her talking at night in the bed went through her mind.

I didn't even know that they've talked about heaven.

"And you know how I told you that it was a happy place where everyone goes after they finish their time here on Earth?" Ness gave her one more nod. "Well, that's where Anthony –your brother- is now."

Nessie looked up at me, her lip quivering. "Really? He's gone? Did you even see him, Daddy?"

I shook my head sadly and that was all it took for Nessie to throw her little arms around my neck. She hugged me with all of her might.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to meet him, Daddy. Was he the only des…desendan of your parents?"

I pulled her back and looked into her eyes. "No, Ness. It turns out that I have grandchildren as well."

"Really? So you're a grandpa? Like Gramps?" she asked, gesturing at Carlisle.

"Yep, but they're in heaven too. I didn't get to spend time with them like Gramps gets to do with you."

Her hopeful smile vanished the minute I said that. I knew that it was cruel to introduce her to another set of my newly discovered relatives and immediately tell her that they were dead.

"Are all of them dead? Is there one that is alive?" she cried.

Thankfully, I could actually say 'yes' to her for the first time.

"Yes, my love. There's this one boy named Riley Anderson. I don't exactly know how he is related to me but I'm guessing he's my great-grand child. He's only four though…"

The smile was firmly back in place. "Really? Four? That's almost two years older than me! Where is he? Do we get to meet him?"  
I kissed her forehead, thankful that she accepted the news so easily. "If you'd like, sweetheart. But we have to find him first. We don't even know where he lives."

"Awww, when can we find out? And where do you think he is?"

"Well, your mom and I think he's in North Carolina. Or at least that's where we can ask other people where he is…" I said thoughtfully, not even realizing that I didn't know where little Riley was.

The bouncing was back. "Oooh, can we go see him now?"

Nessie like every child was excited at the prospect of meeting a new kid.

I looked at Bella. She just shrugged and lifted her shield to keep our conversation secret.

_I think we should at least check on him, or at least go to the hospital in North Carolina to get more information._

I nodded to her while mentally reminding myself to book us flights to North Carolina.

Next thing I knew, Nessie scampered off my lap and tugged on Bella's hand.

"C'mon, mommy. Let's pack…_we gotta meet my new family member,_" she sang while dragging Bella upstairs.

My love just gave me an apologetic smile and then carried Nessie upstairs.

Immediately, my two angels –my distractions- were gone and I was now facing the others.

I read their thoughts and felt how impatient they were at being kept in the dark.

Rose, never one to hide her opinion, spoke first.

"What the hell is going on, Edward?"

As I heard Nessie humming to herself as she rummaged through her closet, I swallowed heavily.

Bella sent me a silent thought. _I'm sorry you have to this alone, Edward. But just tell them the truth. They'll understand. We love you…_

I knew that Bella still loved me even after everything; but as I stared at six impatient golden eyes, I didn't know what to say.

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**A/N: You guys like? I'm really sorry if you found Nessie's reaction to the news a bit disappointing. I just thought that she was too sweet to ever hate on Edward and way too young to understand.**

**But don't worry, she'll start understanding things and being more curious later on. **

**Do you guys want her to be a little OOC or just stick to her being a sweet angel? Because the next couple of chapters will be different depending on what you all want…so leave a review!**


	6. Explanations II

**A/N: Thank you, thank you to the people who review this story. I especially love reading LONG reviews so feel free to leave a review the size of an essay afterwards. I –like most authors on FF- are more inspired to write and publish a chapter faster with more reviews.**

***hint* *hint* Review if you want faster updates… **

**You guys lovin' Edward's Point of Views so far?**

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**Chapter 6: Explanations II**

* * *

**(EPOV)**

"Er-I…erm…uh…" I stuttered, a lump suddenly forming in my throat.

"Oh, Edward, darling it's okay. Just tell us what happened. So back when you were a human, you had a son?" Esme finally took mercy on me and sat next to me, holding my hand.

"Yes, it turns out that before I caught the influenza, I was engaged to someone named Susannah Stanford."

"What? So you married her and then had a child with her?" Rose said, not realizing how much her assumption hurt me.

It wasn't surprising for her to actually assume that I was married to Susannah before I had a child with her; but she couldn't have been more wrong.

The disappointment weighed back on my shoulders, doubts on whether they would still look at me the same once they knew _everything_ creeping into my mind

Jasper –being the empath that he was- sensed my conflicted feelings.

_Edward, man, just tell us. Why are you feeling so much disappointment? And this doubt…if it's about us understanding your past actions, don't worry, we are willing to listen to the whole story. We won't judge you, man…_

I discreetly nodded at him to let him know that I understood.

"You guys have to know…I _wasn't_ married to Susannah when I fathered a child with her?" I said hesitantly.

Expecting their reactions, it wasn't a surprise to me when they all gasped in surprise.

_Oh, my darling…what happened to you? I know that you wouldn't have done that unless for some special reason…_ Esme said, still choosing to see the best of me.

_Edward, son, don't worry, I may not know the whole story on what happened, but explain it to us. We want to know everything…_ Carlisle said.

"What? You have a child, Edward? _You?_ Weren't you like the human version of Mr. Darcy that Bella is in love with so much back in your human years? All prudish?" Emmett blurted out before I had the chance to read his mind.

It wouldn't have matter anyways. Emmet, like a child, always spoke what was on his mind. Maybe that's why he rarely had any problems, he was never one to brood and suffer in silence. If something was bothering him, you'll know it soon enough.

I exhaled a breath, clueless about what to say. All of a sudden, I felt a cool breeze next to me and felt another set of small hands grab mine on my other side.

I looked down to see my wife, worry evident in her eyes.

"Nessie is distracted right now, watching The Fairy Odd Parents on Nickelodeon. She said she wanted to watch as many kid shows to tell her 'new relative' about them," she offered as an explanation, an indulgent smile gracing her soft lips.

Everyone laughed quietly at our angel's sweet personality, effectively easing up the tension a bit.

Unfortunately, my mother wasn't willing to let it go. "So, darling, you were saying…"

"Yes, of course, it turned out that I…I…had…sex with her and gotten her pregnant," I managed to croak out the words.

Simultaneously, everyone let out a gasp –except for Alice who knew everything I was going to say.

"Did you know-"

"What?! You had se-"

"Oh, dear, how i-"

"Son, what hap-"

"It's okay, Edward. I see the-"

"All this doubt, pent up guilt and anger, Edward, is not goo-"

Could vampires actually faint from being overwhelmed? Cause that's how I'm feeling right now. Everyone talking all at the same time, their thoughts voicing out their frustration and curiosity.

Apparently, my wife had enough. "QUIET! Guys, stop talking at the same time. Edward is going to get overwhelmed. One person at a time, geez!" my wife's feistiness and protectiveness coming out.

Just as she finished her sentence, everyone's thoughts suddenly ceased and a peaceful silence replaced their jumbled and loud thoughts –all except for one small mind upstairs, where Nessie was busy giggling about her show.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to kiss my wife on the forehead. "Thank you, love. But if you wouldn't mind, could you not shield their thoughts? Although I love this tranquil feeling of having to hear no thoughts, I'd rather know what everyone's thinking so I can answer their questions," I murmured, Bella's silky hair tickling my jaw.

I looked back up and saw all of them looking away from us. Everyone –even Emmett- always gave each couple some privacy, a hard task to do while living with other vampires with sensitive hearing and supernatural powers.

"Yes, guys, really, let's just all calm down. The faster we shut up, the faster Edward will explain things," Jasper intervened, looking slightly frazzled due to everyone's emotions.

Alice giggled at her husband's sad state. Just as his knee popped up involuntarily, –because of the nervousness erupting from me- she put a small hand to push it back down. "I'm sorry, Edward. We promise to be quiet."

I nodded, grateful that they were willing to make this easier on me.

"So, after I got her pregnant, I caught the influenza shortly, my whole family dying before I even had the chance to meet –much less _know_- about the child," I explained quickly.

Apparently, my explanation wasn't enough because I could see their curious expressions on their faces.

"Wait- so why did you guys have sex? Was it because you loved her? Lusted after her? And what do you mean 'you never had the chance to meet the child'?" Rose asked frustratedly.

I guess –subconsciously- that I talked fast and gave them vague explanations to prevent them from knowing the truth. Like ripping off a band aid.

I didn't know what to say, too afraid to delve into the past again and relive everything.

Luckily, my love stepped in and helped me.

"No to both questions, Rose. But it's true…Edward never even knew he had a child." At everyone's stupefied face, she started over. "Back when he was a human, Edward and his family were very rich, had power and status, everything that girls back in the 1990s wanted."

"Okay, how does that relate to having sex with this Susannah girl? Did he pay her to have sex with him?" Rose said, already getting mad over the idea that a girl was used so improperly.

What can I say? Rosalie Lillian Hale McCartney Cullen was a true feminist at heart. Never one to be talked down to by anyone –much less a man.

I guess her –and the rest of the Cullen women- and their independent attitudes is what really frustrated their husbands.

It was obvious that while the Cullen men held the pants, their wives controlled the zippers… pun intended.

One wrong move from us and we were suddenly on our knees begging for forgiveness.

Back when I hadn't met Bella yet, I used to laugh at how pathetic my brothers –and occasionally my father- were whenever they bowed down to their wives…who were all so small and short compared to their tall frames.

Now…well, I couldn't laugh at their sorry asses, because at times, they were the ones who helped me come up with ideas on how to get Bella to forgive me.

The Cullen women were all so independent –_too independent _. Was it wrong to protect you wife and have them not get frustrated about "keeping them in the dark"?

_Sure, Cullen, "protect"…are you sure you didn't get it confused over "control"?_

I shook my head before a full argument between me and my subconscious occurred. Surely, we would never finish this explanation if that happened.

"What?! NO! Of course not, Rose! What do you take me for? A buyer for sex from helpless girls?" I exclaimed incredulously.

Rose, as soon as she accused me, knew that it was completely wrong. A guilty look flashed before her eyes. "I'm sorry, Edward. I guess I was just thinking about what happened to me when I was still human."

I just nodded and muttered, "It's fine."

I knew that Rose was the way she was –overprotective and slightly cold and harsh, never letting anyone in except her family and Emmett- because of what her fiancée and his friends did to her when she was still a human.

Rose may not be the nicest woman in the world, but _no woman_ should ever have to go through what she did.

"Okay, let me just explain this all before you guys start accusing my husband of anything." Bella said, her sassy demeanor coming back up again.

"When Edward was a human, all girls coveted him. Needless to say, women back then thought that getting married was the best thing that could ever happen to them," she said, an annoyed look crossing over her face.

What did I tell you? My wife was too independent for her –or _my _own good. God knows how the hell I scored and put a ring on her finger.

"But Susannah and him were childhood friends and their parents were also friends. Women getting married young back then was such a common thing. But what was more common back in the 1900s were arranged marriages."

"So my parents and Susannah's parents arranged for us to get married. I, of course, didn't want it. One, because I didn't love her enough to marry her. And two, because I was too determined to go to war."

I felt Esme grip my hand tighter. I knew that she was still sensitive when it came to talking about my dreams about going to war. She thought that if I ended up fighting, I would've been killed before Carlisle had the chance to save me.

And based on my wife's tight hold on my other hand, I knew that she agreed with Esme's sentiment.

"Son, are you saying that she had sex with you to prevent you from going to war and to force you to stay with her?" Carlisle inquired, not knowing that he discovered Susannah's motive without having to read her diary.

I nodded. "Exactly." Already, I could feel my lips pursing into a thin line. "But I'm afraid I'm partly at fault. If I just managed to control my overly hormonal seventeen year old body, we wouldn't be in this situation."

I heard Bella's frustrated sigh before Jasper spoke up.

"Edward, based on the frustration oozing out of Bella, I'm guessing you've argued over this already." Jasper said. "And based on all this guilt and self-loathing you are feeling right now, I'm guessing she didn't win her argument."

I really hated how other than my wife and Nessie, Jasper really knew what I was feeling.

"How can I not think that all of this isn't my fault, huh Jasper? I had the chance to step away from the situation and not let my hormones dictate my future. But what did I do? _I had sex with her!_" I yelled, tugging at my hair frustratedly.

Bella let out a small snort. "Yeah, like you could've 'stepped away from the situation'. If that happened, then I guess the handcuffs didn't do their job."

Everyone let out another loud gasp.

"_Handcuffs?!"_

Rose, knowing how helpless she felt when she was restrained and held down when she got raped, already knew that this wasn't good.

Along with his wife, Emmett also came into the same realization. He sensed that those "handcuffs" weren't for…_bedroom purposes_ and knew that something was definitely wrong.

Bella rubbed my arm soothingly. "Yes, handcuffs. Apparently, Susannah –along with her friend, Meredith- thought that by having sex with Edward and getting herself pregnant, it would force Edward to stay and marry her instead of going to war."

She took a deep breath. "So they came up with a plan together. Susannah lured Edward to her room –something that was strictly forbidden between unwed couples back then- then handcuffed him to the bed, and then she finally…raped him."

Everyone's eyes flashed through me, all wondering how I –Edward Cullen, the king of calmness and control- could've ever been outsmarted by a human.

Their thoughts all ran at the same thought, but Alice's was slightly different.

_Mmmm, maybe this is why he always insists on everything going his way, why every time something goes wrong, he gets aggravated so easily. Maybe this is why he insists on having control of everything, _she mused.

Her musing made me wonder if she was right. Could this be the reason why I don't like things to spiral out of control? Because when things are out of control, _I feel_ out of control.

Is this why I was adamant about the "no sex before the wedding" with Bella? Granted that I was a product of my human era, but if most –if not every- men were continuously seduced by their drop dead gorgeous girlfriends, shouldn't they have given in easily?

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know how hard it is…" Rosalie said sympathetically, surprising everyone.

Everyone turned to her, mouths agape.

"What? I have feelings you know. And I can actually sympathize with him. Unless you all forgot, the same thing happened to me," she said defensively.

At everyone's reminder that I was violated against my will, their expressions all turned somber.

As if sensing that I didn't want to be questioned further about my inadequacy of being a true man, they decided to let go of it.

"I'm truly sorry for that, dear. But you know that our opinions of you haven't changed. This doesn't make you less of a man," Esme said, pinpointing and calming my fears.

_Geez, is that what you were worried about, Edward? Us seeing you as a "lesser man"?_ Jasper thought incredulously.

I just shrugged at his direction.

I tuned his thoughts out knowing that he would somehow go all Dr. Phil on me and try to convince me I was wrong.

Though, I did catch a few of his words, "insecure crazy vampire".

Geez, that boy sure knew how to make someone feel better.

"So, what happened to your 'child'? Was it a boy or a girl?" Rose asked.

"It was a boy. Susannah and her husband –who treated my child as if it were his own- decided to name him Anthony Masen Collins. He died at the age of 60 because of a heart attack," I whispered, feeling heartbroken all over again for not even seeing my son once.

All the Cullen women immediately felt bad for me and wondered about how Anthony was as a child.

Emmett was thinking about whether Anthony "brooded" over everything just like me. Jasper in the meantime was too busy trying to control everyone's emotions. Carlisle, like the good doctor that he was, was thinking about what sparked off Anthony's heart attack. He knew that no one could have a heart attack and die at such a young age unless something drastic happened.

Rose and Esme were suddenly holding hands and were grieving over a man they never even met. Their husbands, on the other hand, were too busy trying to console them.

Only Alice and Bella were calm. Alice, knowing that the Masen-Collins legacy wasn't over yet. Bella, knowing that I had a grandchild and a great grandchild.

I decided to put Rose, Esme, and their husbands out of their misery.

"But…it turns out that Anthony isn't my only relative."

The speed that Rose and Esme looked up at me would've broken a human's neck.

"Wh-wha-what do you mean? You have a living relative out there? Oh, darling, that's absolutely wonderful!" my mother exclaimed.

I nodded. "Yes, I had a grandchild. It was either a girl named Sarah or a boy named Robert."

Esme's smile was immediately wiped off as she heard me use the past tense.

In her mind, I knew she was feeling so much sympathy for me. She put herself in my shoes and wondered just how broken she would feel if she kept discovering new relatives to only find out that they were dead.

I knew from Jasper's thoughts –who felt everyone's emotions- that the others were slowly losing hope that I had another relative out there…that was alive.

Fortunately, I could tell them otherwise.

"But…on the hospital sheet, another name was listed. A Riley Anderson…" I trailed off, not knowing if he was even my relative.

Rose's head snapped up. "I swear, Edward, if you just got our hopes up and then you tell us that this Riley man is dead, I am going to gladly rip your ba-"

Bella intervened before her sister really did rip my beloved jewels that my wife truly loved. "Geez, Rose. Can you not threaten my husband's certain appendage? I actually find it useful."

Immediately, thoughts and memories on how she "used" it came to my mind.

I didn't know how long I was in my Bella-induced haze, but it was long enough for Jasper to complain.

_Uh, Edward?! Do you mind toning down your lust a bit? Alice is on my lap right now and I don't think it would be appropriate to hump her right now…_Jasper thought, immediately making me look at him.

I could see it in his face that he wasn't kidding. He was ready to hump an oblivious Alice in the middle of the room.

I stopped thinking about Bella and thought of the time when I saw Emmett naked –a dare that he was forced to do a long time ago. Thankfully, I could feel myself actually calming down.

Esme shot Rose a pointed look. "Dear, what Rosalie is just trying to say is that we don't think we could take it anymore if any of your relatives died without even having the chance to meet them."

I nodded, understanding how they felt. "I know. I feel the same way. But I may or may not even be related to Riley Anderson. But if I were, -based on his young age- I'd most likely be his great grandfather."

Everyone sat quietly, absorbing all of the information.

Emmett let out a loud _whoop_. "Alright, Eddie! You're not only a dad, grandpa, you're also a great grandpa. How does it feel like to be old? You sure you can still keep up with your young wife there?"

I let out a small growl just as Bella was trying –and failing- to stifle her giggle.

"Hmmm, well if he's a great grandpa, I guess that would make me a _great grandmother! _Renee would freak out!" she broke out in giggles as she thought of my quirky yet loving mother-in-law.

Others laughed at her, knowing that Renee _would_ be freaking out. Just knowing and meeting her granddaughter –Nessie- was enough for Renee to run to the gym to "keep in shape".

I laughed as well, but I stopped when I actually realized what Bella said.

If I was a "great grandpa", then that would make her a "great grandmother"?

So, does that mean that although she hasn't met Riley yet, she already considered him as a part of her family –our family?

As if sensing my thoughts, Bella lifted her shield.

_Of course I do, sweetheart. Although I hadn't met Riley yet, I already love him. He's a part of you and I love you…every part of you._

I didn't think it would be appropriate to just kiss the hell out of my wife in front of everyone, so I just settled on squeezing her hand and kissing her forehead tenderly.

_Geez, Edward. Here we go again…what did I tell you about controlling you lust? Must I tell you again? Alice is on my lap!_ Jasper whined.

I rolled my eyes at him, but decided to behave.

Rose, already obsessed with a child she hasn't even met, fired question after question. "So how old is this Riley? Is he in his teens yet? Where does he live? _Who_ does he live with?"

Emmett just chuckled at his wife's behavior. "Baby, let's let Edward explain, alright?"

She just rolled his eyes at him but snuggled against his chest nonetheless.

This is where I truly felt like I was going to disappoint them because I didn't know anything about Riley but his age.

"I'm sorry, guys, but the only thing that was written on the paper sent by the hospital is that Riley is four years old. It didn't say anything about where he lives or who he lives with."

Immediately, I could see Esme's shoulders slump in disappointment.

"But…it said that if we wanted more information, we could call the hospital. It even had the address there," I said hesitantly, refusing to give them false hope.

The hospital in North Carolina might not even know where Riley now lives.

_Too late now, Cullen._ "Really? Where's the hospital located in?" Esme asked, hope tinting her voice.

"North Carolina," Alice piped in, already too impatient that this explanation was taking too long.

I could hear from her thoughts that she saw Bella, Nessie, and I flying to North Carolina to see Riley. All I saw was a dark patch of hair and bright green eyes before Alice blocked her mind.

I let out a small growl.

She just stuck her tongue at me. "Oh don't be so impatient, Edward. You'll see him soon enough."

Bella –as if knowing what Alice and I were talking about- looked suddenly excited. "We'll see him soon? Really? Oh, I can't wait to meet him!" she said, clapping her hands together.

Her Alice-esque move made my irritated expression go away as I kissed her forehead. "No more hanging out with Alice for you."

She just rolled her eyes at me as her pixie best friend stuck out her tongue at me again.

"Well, if you're 'going to see him soon enough' –and I'm guessing none of us, except for Ness and your wife, are invited- then why the hell are you still here? Go meet your great grandchild!" Rose asked, standing up.

Like all the Cullen men were to their wives, Emmett stood up as well –like a helpless puppy-, eyes darkening slightly as he saw a sliver of skin when Rosalie stood up.

Just as he reached out to touch it, Jasper suddenly stood up –nearly sending Alice face to face with the floor had he not catch her in time- grabbed his wife's hand and dashed outside into the woods…

But not before I caught his thoughts.

_Too much lust feelings from Emmett…gonna self combust…_

Alice just giggled as she hung onto her husband's hand.

Rose and Em couldn't have cared less, already making a way upstairs.

Carlisle, Esme, Bella, and I were the only ones left in the living room.

But Carlisle suddenly remembered that he "wanted to take Esme out somewhere" and decidedly, they left too, taking his Mercedes.

Honestly, who was Carlisle kidding?

Geez, Cullens and their libidos.

So that left the living room empty…except for us.

I turned to her. "So you really want to go to North Carolina?"

Bella just nodded, biting her lips with her teeth as she saw my agonized expression. "What's wrong, Edward?" She giggled. "Their thoughts bothering you?"

I nodded, while massaging my temples.

All of a sudden, a sense of calm wrapped around me. Gone were all of their thoughts doing…things in their bedrooms.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course. I'm really ready to see Riley. And I'm pretty sure Nessie would throw the biggest tantrum ever if you were to tell her that she couldn't visit her 'new family'," she said, rolling her eyes at how our little angel could easily accept anyone.

I kissed he forehead, suddenly realizing how much I missed our little girl…who was too busy not missing us because of her TV show.

As if sensing my thoughts –or suddenly missing Nessie as well- Bella got up and dragged both of us upstairs.

We opened the door and nestled on the huge bed sat our little angel.

Renesmee was lying on her chest, both feet up, chin resting on her folded hands, and a faint smile on her small lips.

We sat on either side of her. Immediately, she felt us.

"Daddy! Mommy! I missed you guys. Are you guys done with all the grown up talk?" she said, immediately crawling into my lap.

I saw Bella roll her eyes. She always insisted that Ness was a daddy's princess and loved me more.

But I knew that if Nessie heard her say that, our little angel would be appalled and will try everything to make her mother feel better again.

Ness, like her mother, was truly selfless…even at such a young age.

I brushed some hair off of her tiny forehead. "Yes, baby girl. We're done. And we have some good news for you."

She looked up at me with her deep brown eyes and nodded for me to continue.

I looked at Bella, always needing her when it came to breaking in such big news to Nessie.

She crawled over to us and snuggled into my other side. "Nessie, baby, we were thinking of going to North Carolina to see Riley and find out more about Daddy's human life. Do you want to co-?"

"YES! I wanna come, Mommy! I wanna come, Daddy!" she interrupted, fist pumping the air before Bella even had the chance to finish her sentence.

Bella and I just laughed at her. "Alright, sweetheart. Let's go meet your new family member. But keep in mind though…we won't be staying there for long. Riley may already have a family…" I said, warning my daughter who fell in love with things –and people- too fast, too hard.

Even my hesitant warning was deterred. "Yes, Daddy. Riley may not come home with us. Got it…" she mumbled distractedly, as thoughts of playing with him went through her mind.

I knew –as did my wife- that trying to calm Ness down would be a futile attempt.

"Mommy, will you help me pack?" she asked sweetly to Bella. "I gotta look good when I see my new family!"

I rolled my eyes at her as Bella carried her into the huge closet.

I got out my laptop out of the drawer as I could hear Nessie trying to beg Bella to pack everything in the small bag.

Although I already told Bella that we would be in North Carolina for a whole week tops, I knew that my daughter would end up bringing things she wouldn't even need.

I booked our flights –first class of course…gotta have my Nessie being comfortable during the flight- and then closed my laptop afterwards.

When the screen went black, I saw a glimpse of my reflection.

I looked…excited. And when I thought about it, I was actually excited to see Riley. He may be the only and last living relative I have in this planet.

And suddenly…I couldn't wait to see him and find out more about the other Masens from my past.

As I heard my two angels rummaging through Nessie's clothes –and Bella's pleas to pack lighter- only one thought came to mind.

_Here we come North Carolina!_

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**A/N: How do you guys like it, guys?**

**Anymore suggestions for missing moments for the Outtakes story?**

**I'll be busy the next couple days so unfortunately, I don't know when I'll be able to update again.**

**Leave a review if you have any questions or comments.**

'**Till next time! **


	7. North Carolina

**A/N: I just recently got a review saying that "Bella is so cheap to forgive Edward easily…who cares if he got raped? He lied to her."**

**Whoever wrote it, you know who you are. I am not picking on you or anything, but I do have to say a couple of things.**

**Firstly, I wanted my characters in UB to be as IC (in character) as possible. I didn't want them to be OOC too much. In New Moon, Bella forgave Edward for leaving her easily, so I decided to make her as forgiving as well here. **

**As for the raping comment, Edward didn't even **_**know**_** that he lost his virginity to someone else when he was a human because…well, you'll find out in this chapter.**

**Let me just all tell you, **_**I**_** care that Edward got raped. And in my opinion, I think that it was such a rude thing to say about a rape victim. Fictional or not, rape is not something that should be taken lightly, guys.**

**While I love to see Edward sweat a little as much as the next person, the characters here won't be as OOC. Sorry to disappoint.**

**Hope whoever left the review is reading this to help clarify things. And thanks to whoever read this LONG rant! Enjoy!**

**Another EPOV, guys! I honestly think I'm spoiling you all…**

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**Chapter 7: North Carolina**

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**(EPOV)**

"Son, can I have a word with you?" Carlisle asked as I was packing my stuff for our trip to North Carolina.

"Sure, something wrong?" I asked as I heard the giggles and the water splashes in the bathroom.

Nessie insisted on getting a bath from Bella so they were currently in the room's adjoined bathroom. I could hear Nessie asking to use Bella's strawberry shampoo, but Bella stood firm and told her to use her own lavender shampoo made especially for kids.

I bit back my laugh as I looked into my daughter's mind and saw her mother kneeling down with her white long-sleeved shirt wet in the middle, giving me a tantalizing view of her lacy bra.

Ness truly idolized Bella and did everything her mother did; wore everything her mother wore; and acted the way Bella did.

I released as a sigh as I thought of my two angels.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard Carlisle chuckle quietly.

I smiled sheepishly at him, "Sorry…got lost there for a minute. What did you want, dad?"

He just let me off the hook, knowing too well how your family could cause you to lose focus for a moment.

"Actually, son, I had a case at the hospital with a patient that had a history very similar to yours."

History the same as mine? I didn't think that there could be a century old vampire that only discovered that he had living relatives close to a hundred years later…right when he was finally married and had a daughter.

As if sensing my thoughts, Carlisle replied. "No, Edward, I didn't _literally_ mean that someone had the _exact same_ history as yours; I just said it was _similar._"

I nodded for him to continue.

"Well at the hospital, there was a sixteen year old girl who got into a car accident with her friends. Unfortunately, all of her friends left the accident with only a few scratches, but Lydia –who was driving- bumped her head really hard against the wheel."

I shot him a confused look. "Yeah, okay, but how does her accident relate to my experience?"

"Well, aren't you curious as to how you didn't remember Susannah and the fact that she was your fiancée when you turned into a vampire? Granted, that we don't retain our memories as clearly had we remained human, but if something as bad or drastic happened to you, shouldn't you at least remember it, even if it was a vague and murky memory? Son, you got _violated for God's sake!_ How can one –vampire or not- forget that?" he said while staring at me intently as if the answer was on my face.

And I realized that as he was saying that, I did truly wonder why I never remembered Susannah. Most people who have amnesia would've at least remembered bits and pieces of their past if something similar happened or something triggered their past, but what about me?

As much as I wouldn't have liked to have known my past or ever found out about it, wouldn't my engagement with Bella force me to remember –or at least have a short flashback- on my engagement with Susannah?

Granted, I didn't truly love Susannah and it was an arranged marriage; but still…it should've sparked something from the past.

At my calculating expression, Carlisle went back to explaining what he was trying to say.

"Based on what your face is showing, you were wondering –or wondered- the same thing as well. But don't worry, son, I have a theory…which was inspired by Lydia's story."

I nodded my head, starting to actually wonder how much this "Lydia" and her incident relates to my past.

"So, Lydia and her friends were driving when they came across a deer. This happened last night so it was foggy when they saw the deer. Luckily –for the deer- Lydia swerved the car fast enough so it wasn't hit. Unfortunately for Lydia, she didn't think about stopping somewhere, she just swerved the car. They hit a pole and a tree –plus it was raining heavily last night- so Lydia got really hurt."

"How is she? Has she even woken up yet?" I asked, knowing that Carlisle hated these kinds of accidents…where the innocent people get hurt.

Carlisle nodded and couldn't fight the relieved smile off of his face.

Before he had the chance to block out his thoughts, I saw a blonde girl with scratches on her lips, bruises on her face, and a neck brace who I was guessing was Lydia.

The last thing I saw was her confused face before Carlisle started reciting the Hebrew Bible in his head.

I tuned him out knowing that he wanted to explain more about Lydia at his own pace.

"But the thing that really confirmed my thesis on how you didn't remember all about Susannah was when Lydia woke up. When she first opened her eyes, she looked confused and overwhelmed. At first no one paid attention to her because nurses and the staff knew how disoriented patients –especially ones from surgeries- could be."

I nodded, knowing full well how confused and disoriented patients could be after an accident.

"So when I was going to check her vital signs to make sure she was alright, she asked me where she was. Again—I was just patient with her and told her that she was in a hospital. Most patients usually asked where they are if they wake up first and then not see their familiar rooms. But when I was explaining how _she got_ into the hospital and her accident, she just looked at me blankly. As I was explaining to her that Lindsay, Carrie, and Linda –her friends that she was in the car with- were hurt, she asked me who they were. And that's when I knew something was wrong."

I feel bad for Lydia, I really do, but I still didn't understand how this related to me. Was Carlisle saying that I had amnesia when I turned into a vampire?

"Wait—Carlisle, are you saying that I had amnesia shortly before I turned into a vampire? Because although it is murky, I can still remember you coming into the hospital and taking care of me and my family…"

"Yes and No. I don't think that you_acquired _amnesia, but something similar to it, yes," he explained cryptically.

Although I had my own medical degree, I never really studied victims who had or have amnesia so I was completely lost to what he was saying.

"Well, as some people know, amnesia is not only a type of illness where one loses their memory; it is also a temporary way to forget about your traumatic past."

I nodded my head, finally getting what he was saying. I've seen it on TV happen…well at least shows where Bella forced me to watch with her.

In her soap operas, people end up not remembering something traumatic from their past and think that they can forever leave it behind and not face it. But –based on only the shows that I've watched and seen- something usually triggers the past and they're forced to face it without knowing –or any of their family members explaining to them- what really happened.

"So I called Dr. Hyden, our psychiatrist, who deals with situations like these with our patients.

"She talked to Lydia's friends and asked them if anything traumatic or big happened to Lydia recently because Dr. Hyden knew that the chances of her just getting amnesia at such a young age because of the car accident are really slim. Adults twice her age who were in a similar accident only needed surgery but they never got amnesia.

"Seeing how healthy and fit Lydia was at school, I talked to Dr. Hyden to ask if something made her brain shut down and forget her memories due to a recent traumatic event in Lydia's life."

I nodded my head, wondering how what could've happened to her that was so bad and traumatic that she forgot her memories.

"Looking through her files and asking her friends and family about Lydia, we found out that her mother recently died due to getting shot on her job at the Port Angeles police station. Her father –along with her friends…because she was an only child- agreed with Dr. Hyden when she said that Lydia only lost her memories in order to protect her mind."

As he paused to take a breath, I wondered how I would actually feel if Bella lost her memories while she was a human. Would I have just left her again and she would be none the wiser when it came to vampires' existences?

Just as the question registered in my head, Bella and our little angel's lovely giggles tinkled over to the library. As their infectious laughs warmed my heart, I knew that not in a million years would I have ever traded them for anything.

Bella's "human and normal existence" be damned…as long as I got to keep my two angels for eternity.

"So…that bring it all backs to you. I think –and this is just my opinion- that when you turned into a vampire, you completely buried your memories about Susannah's and the fact that she violated you. I'm guessing that you're brain wanted to protect itself, choosing mild amnesia to shield it. Therefore, that explains why –although the rest of your human memories are murky and vague- you don't remember when Susannah violated you and things that happened after and before it."

I exhaled heavily. Could this really be the reason why I forgot all about Susannah and what she did to me? Could it be because my brain and my self-preservation forced me to protect myself? Or was it because the guilt over what happened back then was enough to force my own mind to not remember anything?

As if sensing my thoughts, Carlisle interjected again. "If you still don't believe my theory, I have another one that _also_ explains why I think you lost some of your human memories. Maybe, just maybe, your brain and body felt the need to protect itself because shortly after you got violated by Susannah, you caught the Spanish Influenza. It wouldn't be a surprise if your body just stopped fighting. One trauma and a deadly disease? I think _anyone_ body's would've surely gone in shock mode or just shut down."

I let Carlisle's theories actually seep into my mind, knowing that either one or the other caused me to forget some of my past…or both of them were the reason.

Maybe Carlisle was right – since when was he never? - and I just acquired my amnesia because the rape was too much for my human brain to take, add on the fact that I caught the influenza not long after, it was a no-brainer why my body just refused to fight.

Carlisle, knowing that he already made his point, stood up and said goodbye. "Well, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I know you guys are leaving for North Carolina shortly so just let us know if you need anything. Tell us if you find out anything important about your relatives and about little Riley. I know Esme and your sisters are _really_ curious about him. You know them…always so enamored by little children."

He and I let out a small chuckle at his last statement. If the Cullen women had their ways – and had they been humans – this house would've been filled to the brim with small children.

Not to mention the fact that Nessie totally craved another little one in the house to play with.

As Carlisle left to go to work, I couldn't help but read his last thoughts.

Although I knew he tried to hide it, I saw – and knew – that he, too, also wanted another small child to care for.

It wasn't that he wasn't contented with having Nessie as his granddaughter – he was _ecstatic_ about that – but I knew that if given the opportunity, he would've wanted another little one running around the house.

I knew that it made the others happier to know that although Nessie was slightly mature for her age – mentally, that is –physically, she aged at the same rate as humans her age.

We didn't know exactly why that was but of course, Carlisle – the man of theories – thought that it was because she was a girl.

Unlike Nahuel who grew at a very rapid pace, Nessie aged slower, something that we never took for granted.

I was brought out of my musing when Nessie came in with her hair tucked under her small purple hair towel. She was too adorable dressed in her pink sweater, khaki skirt with little flowers on the bottom, and matching small flats.

Before I had the chance to say something, she leapt in my arms. Once she connected with my legs, her towel collided with my knees, making her short bronze hair tumble out of it.

She smiled sheepishly at Bella – who I never even noticed – with her slightly darker hair covering her small eyes.

Bella –who looked like she just finished a shower herself- rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Oh, Nessie, baby I told you to be careful. That towel wasn't going to stay very long anyways. Let's go do your hair, huh?"

Our little angel squealed and then tugged on my pants – her silent way of telling me to kneel down to her eyelevel. Once I was at her height, she kissed me on the cheek quickly and muttered, "Love you, Daddy!" before scampering off back to her room, dragging her small towel.

Bella let out a small giggle at how excited Nessie was at having her hair done.

I definitely didn't laugh when I realized that I came _second_ to fixing hairs and dressing up when it came to our little girl.

Her laugh warmed me like no other and I finally had the chance to look at her for the first time.

She was wearing a navy sweater which highlighted her dark hair beautifully, the sleeves clinging on to her arms and wrist, showing how petite she was.

The pants she had on looked like second skin and as for her shoes…well it finally explained why I didn't have to look that far down.

She was wearing knee length boots which had a tall heel…something she never had the confidence to wear until she turned into a vampire.

The only thing that Bella was disappointed – but something I found endearing – when she turned into a vampire, it was the fact that she didn't grow taller.

Although she wasn't _that_ short, she was considered so next to me and the other Cullen men.

What can I say? The Cullen women liked their men tall.

When I first asked her if she regretted anything about turning into a vampire, she said that the only thing she would've done was "drink more milk" and "sleep earlier".

Even being a vampire, she still surprised me. I didn't think Em, Jas, nor I stopped laughing when she said that. Even Carlisle let out a few chuckles or two…not in front of her of course, he didn't want to get his new daughter mad.

You know how I said Em and Jas helped me kiss my wife's ass when I got in trouble with her? Well laughing at her serious complaints was the first time I was kicked into the dog house.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I saw her come closer and waved her hands in front of my face.

"Edward? Edward! Are you okay?" she asked.

I snapped out of my daze immediately."Uh…ah…what? Oh yes, of course. Sorry got lost for a moment, just thinking about how beautiful you look right now."

She rolled her eyes at me but snuggled into my arms anyways. I leaned down to bury my face in the crook of her neck and immediately felt my mood turn sour.

I pulled back as her smooth –and slightly- wet hair brushed against my cheek. "You showered _without me_?" I whined.

Bella and I hadn't had our…_private sessions_ in our bedroom since before I left for Chicago. Sue me if I wanted some alone time with my wife.

She let out a giggle as she ran her thumb along my lips, effectively wiping off my scowl. "Sorry, babe. But Nessie got me wet too much and I figured I would shower anyways."

I let out a sharp breath as I remembered how I saw through her shirt and saw her lacy bra when she was bathing Ness.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, lowering my voice into a lower tone, something that she found seductive. "Oh, but if you waited for me, _I_ could've gotten you _wet_ _as well_," I whispered, my voice dripping with innuendo.

I felt more than heard her gasp as her chest was pressed so tightly against my own.

I seriously didn't know what would've happened if Nessie didn't call for her mother at the time that she did. As she heard her daughter's voice calling for her, Bella let out a sigh and gently pushed against me.

"Well isn't our flight leaving soon? You should shower and dress soon…or your daughter might leave this town without you," she said as she started heading to the door.

Before she could escape, I tightened my hold on her and tightened the hands that was gripping the curve of her hips and slipped them under her back pockets.

She let out a small squeal as I gently squeezed her and slapped my arm. "Edward! I don't think that you'd want to see your daughter squeezing my ass," she admonished as she pushed against me.

I let out a small chuckle, glad that I finally didn't have to hide my…_primal side_ - that was eternally seventeen when it came to her - from her like I had to do when she was still a fragile human.

As she left to go attend to Nessie, I couldn't help but be entranced at the sway of her hips. I didn't know if it was intentional or not but I always thought that whenever my love wore heels, her "hip sway" absolutely drove me crazy.

I didn't know if she was aware of it, but whenever she wore heels – especially those ridiculously high ones – she had this sexy strut going on.

_C'mon, Cullen. It's Bella we're talking about here. Do you honestly think she can do anything and not have it sexy in some way?_

Although I usually argued with my subconscious, I couldn't deny that he was right.

_My_ wife was sexy and beautiful. Whether she had no make-up on or not; or whether she was dressed up in some fancy dress and heels or whether she was in her sweats with her hair up in a messy bun.

As I heard Nessie asking her mom to do a small _French Braid_ on the side of her hair, I decided to shower.

Our flight was leaving in a couple of hours and I still needed to get ready.

On the way to our shower, I saw Nessie sitting on the huge bed watching TV with Bella sitting on her knees designing her hair.

I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard Nessie's quiet purr as Bella softly ran her fingers through our daughter's small head, being extra careful.

I knew that I too liked it when Bella ran her fingers through my hair so it was no surprise when Nessie did as well. We were family, of course.

I looked at my beautiful wife as her perfect eyebrow creased in concentration. I couldn't help but fall in love with her more, knowing that how great of a mother she was to our child.

If Nessie wanted or needed something, Bella put our daughter's needs and wants in front of hers. Doesn't mean that she spoiled her though. Between the both of us, when it came to spoiling her, she was definitely the stricter one.

What? Could you blame me for wanting to give my little princess anything and everything she wanted?

I didn't know how long I stood there watching Bella's nimble fingers move through Nessie's hair, but it was long enough for Bella to finish braiding our daughter's hair.

I saw Nessie grab the mirror beside her and heard as she let out a gasp of appreciation at her mom's work. She turned quickly and clung to Bella's neck as she peppered her mom with kisses.

"Oh, thank you, Mommy! Look, Daddy! My hair looks so pretty!" she squealed in delight as she finally acknowledged me.

I couldn't remember a time where Nessie _didn't_ ask for her mom to do her mom or Bella _not_ wanting to fix or braid Nessie's hair.

I think that the minute that our little angel started growing hair on her head, Bella already started braiding and styling it.

To this day, _no one_ was allowed to touch or fix Nessie's hair except for her mommy. Not that anyone would do the job as well as Bella does.

I knew that if I tried to fix or even worse: _braid_ Nessie's hair, I would end up yanking my daughter's silky hair off of her head with my overly large and inexperienced hands.

You name a hairstyle and a braid for Bella, and chances are she'll know how to do it perfectly.

I mean, who knew that there were different braids? Aren't braids just braids? Who knew there was a French Braid, a Fishtail braid, _and_ a regular braid? The Dutch Braid?Okay…where did _come_ from?

_Geez, why don't you get your ass in the shower and stop thinking about braids?!_

Again for the second time, I didn't even bother arguing with my subconscious.

I was brought back to the present as I heard my daughter's happy squeal again.

I looked at my two angels again and saw them cuddling together on the bed as they giggled over Nessie's show.

I dashed to the bathroom and took the fastest shower ever and dressed up equally fast. I wanted to finish getting ready as soon as possible because if we still had any time left, maybe I could cuddle with my two girls before we had to leave.

I rubbed my towel against my hair then dressed up in jeans, a gray hoddie, and then got out my black shoes to wear later.

I couldn't suppress my smile as I heard Nessie singing along with the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song. I dashed outside and the sight that awaited me nearly melted my frozen heart.

Bella was leaning against the headboard while mouthing the words quietly which I guess Nessie asked her to do. It was always a form of torture for whoever was with Nessie when SpongeBob Squarepants came on because he or she had to sing the theme song with her.

Although they all claimed to hate doing singing along, I knew that they ended up enjoying it. They just didn't have it in them to swallow their prides and admit that singing to a kid's show's song was enjoyable…

Except for Emmett, that is. That boy didn't even need to be _asked_ to sing it with Nessie, he _wanted _and _requested_ to sing it with her every day.

I swear, if they had the theme song on iTunes, he would buy it.

Do they _even _sell it on iTunes? I guess it would be up for sale, in the SpongeBob Squarepants album…

_Really, Cullen? Why the fuck are you thinking about children's albums when you could be cuddling with your wife and daughter? Get your ass on the bed…now!_

Geez, does my subconscious have to be right all the time?

I walked to the huge bed and as soon as Ness felt the bed dip slightly with my weight, she pulled me in and sandwiched herself between Bella and I.

With Bella on Nessie's left side and with me on her right and with Nessie clutching both of our hands on her lap, we were the perfect picture of a happy family.

As my daughter's and my lovely wife's happy sigh because our daughter was happy, only one thought came to mind.

_I was one lucky bastard. I get to keep it – them – forever…_

**-xXx-**

"Sir, are you sure you don't need a blanket? I could certainly give you one…_or anything else you'd_ _like…_" the stewardess asked for the umpteenth time as she batted her eyelashes – that were not as dark nor as long – as my wife's.

Before I could open my mouth to reply and reject her politely…again, my feisty wife did so for me.

"Ms. Smith, I believe my _husband_ already told you. He doesn't want anything…" she said her eyes lighting up with a little bit of anger.

As the stewardess walked away dejectedly, my wife finished her sentence under her breath, "…from you."

A small chuckle threatened to erupt from me at how jealous my wife was. I would never look at another woman that wasn't her and she knew it too. I guess jealousy does blind people…I would know that.

I knew that it would definitely piss my wife off if I ended up laughing at her jealousy – although it was completely ridiculous and totally unnecessary – because I knew that she _hated_ letting her jealousy streak out.

I made the mistake of releasing a chuckle or two the first time she showed her jealous side. Let me just tell you, I got kicked out of our room for two whole days just by doing so. _Two days!_

Not to mention the kind of torture she put me through during those two days…

At every grocery store, every mall, every errand or random place she went to, she had her own admirers. Usually, whenever someone hit on her or flirted with her, she'd immediately reject them telling them that she was happily married. She would even show them her wedding ring for added measure. If I was there with her –growling at their thoughts- then I would get kissed senseless to prove to them that she loved _me._

But when we were in our "fight" – more like small misunderstanding – she even flirted with them a little and giggled at all the right times and places.

I knew after we made out…I mean made _up_, that I would never laugh at Bella's jealousy…ever again.

As Bella saw the hints of amusement on my face she let out a quiet growl, being mindful of the small child snoring softly in between us.

"Ha, ha, ha. Laugh it up now, Mr. Cullen. Wait till it's your turn," she teased…I think.

I gulped, truly dreading what she had up her sleeve.

Once she saw my scared expression, she let out a small giggle. "I was kidding, babe. Sorry I just get so jealous at times…what can I say? My husband's a hot man and all these women know it. I just hope that they know that you're _mine."_

I could feel the venom immediately flow down to my southern regions. Bella had no idea how sexy she was when she was jealous.

Knowing that there was a small child sleeping between us and that taking Bella in front of all these passengers would've been inappropriate, I decided to reply to her, stomping down the urge to kiss her senseless.

"Love, you know you're the _only_ woman I see. All these other people don't matter. I love you…only you."

She rolled her eyes at my sappiness and turned back to her book that she was reading…but not before I saw a small smug smile peeking at her soft lips.

"No…don't be mean to Patrick, Squidward…no, the pineapple is for the pizza…" my little angel said incoherently against my chest.

Bella and I looked at each other before bursting into quiet laughter. Nessie has been asleep since the pilot announced for take-off, being too hyper since she hasn't slept at all once she knew about Riley.

Once Bella heard Nessie's heart rate picking up and saw her squirming, she leveled me with a pointed look telling me to be quiet.

I knew that Bella wanted Nessie to sleep as much as she could because knowing our daughter, she wouldn't get a wink of sleep once we landed.

I bit my lip to stop my laughter, not wanting to be on my wife's bad side.

My jubilant smile was wiped off of my face when I heard the lusty thoughts of a male steward heading our way.

As I heard his overly enthusiastic voice as he asked _my wife_ if she wanted anything, I let out a silent growl that turned into a frustrated groan as I heard his thoughts about all the things he wanted to do to her on this plane.

_God, give me the strength to not kill these men on the spot for thinking inappropriate thoughts about my wife…_

**-xXx-**

"Oooh…this place looks like home, Daddy," my little angel said as she peered through our rental car's window.

I glanced at her in the backseat and saw how her little eyes were trying to catch up with the moving scenery.

We weren't moving that fast but it was still fast to her. Ever since Nessie was old enough to ride on the car, I only went a little bit over the speed limit.

I didn't want my angel to be crushed in a car accident. Bella found it funny actually that a small two year old finally put a stop to my century long love of speed when it came to driving.

Nessie was right though. Raleigh, North Carolina looked similar to Forks. I didn't know if it was like this every day or just because it was fall time here.

But I could smell the distinct scent of pine trees and it immediately reminded me of Forks. The small diners and easy-going locals also reminded me of the small town known as our home.

The only difference was that the leaves in the trees were more oranger, redder, lighter and more colorful. The grounds had piles and piles of different colored leaves that just screamed autumn.

I accelerated a little bit as I saw I saw our hotel, Raleigh Roadway Resort.

I parked the car and opened the doors for my two ladies. Bella carried Nessie out of the back seat while I carried our bags to the lobby.

Looking around, it wasn't your typical resort during the summer. It wasn't even a huge building with hundreds of windows.

It looked like a small village with single cottages all spaced out evenly. I purposely booked us a hotel where we could have our personal space in case we needed space from everyone else.

I held Bella's hand –who held Nessie's on her other side- and opened the door to the lobby.

The man who checked us in was thankfully in his mid-50's that didn't check my wife out having been too in love with _his_ wife.

"Reservation for Cullen please."

He gave me our key which looked old-fashioned, I'm guessing to keep up with the theme of the resort.

He bid us good-bye and couldn't help but admire at our small but very happy family.

As Nessie bid him a quiet "good night" in her small voice, images of his small grandchild came to mind.

We walked to our small village that was located at the corner, slightly bigger and further away from everyone else.

Nessie _ooohed_ and _aaahed_ again as she saw the interior of the room. Even I was impressed.

The hotel room reminded me slightly of the cottage with its many shades of warm colors that gave it a homey feel. The walls were a light beige color with darker brown designs on the corner. The bed was huge and had many soft blankets and pillows as well that were different shades of browns and pinks. The TV was off to the side and reflected the warm colors of the fire in the fireplace.

The carpet was plush and soft and so was the sofa located across from the bed. The bathroom was huge with an equally bigger vanity mirror with a rotating chair next to it.

I set down our bags on the floor and started organizing our clothes inside the drawers in the dresser.

"I'm just going to get Ness freshened up, alright?" my wife asked.

I nodded my head as she carried a slightly sleepy Nessie in the bathroom. I heard the shower open and couldn't help but laugh at my daughter's weird habits.

She _always_ took a bath twice. One in the morning one in the night. She would absolutely feel out of place and extremely dirty if she only took one shower in a day.

Before I finished putting away our belongings, I saw Bella's shadow and a much smaller one next to her that was Ness.

Nessie was wearing one of the hotel's huge robes which was still slightly brushing against the ground even though she already held it up. Her tiny feet were in one of the slippers we brought, her tiny toes peeking out. Her hair was bunched up in a small towel. Her face, although looked sleepy, was clean and slightly flushed from the hot water.

She walked up to me and hugged me. I couldn't help but appreciate how affection our daughter was; always giving hugs and kisses to me and our family randomly. Thank God, she got that amazing quality from Bella, knowing that I was never one to just randomly hug someone.

I knelt down and pressed her tight to my chest. She looked up at me sleepily as Bella started taking her hair out of the towel.

I carried our little angel on the huge bed with Bella behind her already gently brushing out her silky hair.

I went to the dresser and took out Nessie's pajama pair, a midnight blue button up shirt with yellow moons all over it and its matching pair of pants.

I helped Bella dress her up and couldn't help but marvel at how lucky I was.

Here I thought that I would never even end up with a mate but now I have a child with my love as well. Could anyone get anymore luckier?

I stepped back and opened the covers for Nessie to sleep under. She plopped her small head on the huge pillow, her slightly darker hair setting off the blue color of her pajamas really well.

She gently tugged on both Bella and I's shirts to gesture us to lean down.

She kissed us both on the cheek. "Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy. Wake me up early tomorrow, okay?"

Bella and I nodded, knowing that she didn't need us to wake her up. Nessie, like her mother, was an early riser.

We kissed her forehead as she let out a small yawn. She snuggled up against my chest as Bella gently scratched her back.

It wasn't long before she succumbed to sleep, always being extra tired after a long car ride…or a plane ride in this case.

I looked at Bella and couldn't deny how beautiful she looked as the dim glow of the fireplace illuminated her.

Now that we were truly here in North Carolina, I was starting to get nervous at the idea that my relatives –dead or alive- lived here as well.

As I thought about what we were going to say the hospital and what we are going to hear and find out about my relatives, I started getting nervous.

Our eyes met and I knew that no matter how hard everything becomes, as long as I have my two angels by my side, I could take on anything.

**-xXx-**

"Good morning and welcome to Duke Raleigh Hospital. How can I help you?" the receptionist said in a kind voice.

"We were just wondering if we could talk to Dr. Simms. We're from Chicago and were sent an email that we were supposed to talk to her. Is she here by any chance?" I asked, trying to be as smooth as possible, not wanting anyone to know our true home.

"Yes, she is. But I'm afraid she's at an appointment right now so if you wouldn't mind waiting in her office, that'd be great. She'll be with you shortly," she said as she directed us to Dr. Simms' office.

We sat on the huge chairs with Nessie perched on Bella's lap, her little feet swinging happily.

We played a couple of rounds of 'I spy..." with Nessie's adorable giggles filling the silent room before we heard the door open.

Dr. Simms walked in, her stethoscope wrapped around her neck as she jammed her pen in her long white doctor's coat. She was a redhead that looked too young to be a professional doctor. But reading her mind, I knew that she was mature for her age and was even better than most of the other staff although she was a little younger than everyone else.

"Good morning. Would you be by any chance Edward Cullen? And who are these lovely ladies sitting next to you?" she asked, recalling the realtor's description of me being "unnaturally pale" and "overly handsome".

Luckily, Dr. Simms was happily in love with her high school sweetheart so I – well _Bella - _didn't have to worry about having to beat off another woman.

I nodded while introducing my wife and daughter proudly. "And beside me is Bella, my beautiful wife, and Renesmee, our lovely daughter."

From her mind, I saw how happy we looked and knew that she saw us as the "perfect family".

The doctor welcomed us before returning to being professional.

"Well, the realtors - Chicago, right?- told me you _were_ the owner, or at least a buyer, of the house there?"

"Actually, I _owned_ the house until recently when they told me that I didn't _technically_ own it because of legal rights to the other living Masen descendants," I said, feeling slightly irritated that I had to go through such measures when _I_ was the original owner of house.

"Yes, well knowing how old that house is, it's no surprise that the people there just want it to go to its proper owners."

I nodded my head, knowing that I needed to get control over my emotions before I blurted out that _I_ was the son of Edward and Elizabeth Masen.

I didn't think that anyone would believe me if I said that.

"Well, since you and your family owned this house before news of alleged living relatives of the Masens, you have permission to look at all the files. That is as long as that what you read –what you find out- stays here. These files, especially because it all doesn't end well, are confidential," she warned us, thoughts of crying patients and sleepless nights flashing through her mind.

Bella and I nodded; even Nessie nodded her little head.

She opened her drawer and got out thick papers and documents stacked in different labeled manila folders.

She handed it to us. "Here you go. I'll step out for a little bit. I have to attend to some patients and I'll give you guys some time alone to read through it. Call me if you need anything," she said as she pushed off her chair.

"Thank you, Dr. Simms," Nessie said as Bella and I were too caught up thumbing through all of the evidence that clued us in about everything I've missed about my "family".

Dr. Simms let out a small laugh which made her look like the young lady she was, instead of a serious doctor who saw enough to know that the world was not all rainbows and sunshine.

"You're very welcome, little Renesmee. And you don't have to call me Dr. Simms, I feel old. Just call me Katy," she said, winking playfully at my little child.

Nessie let out a small giggle as her already flushed cheeks turned redder.

After saying another good bye, Dr. Simms left the room, shutting the door quietly.

Only minutes after the room turned quiet, Nessie already couldn't take the silence.

As she started squirming and fidgeting, Bella opened her huge purse.

She got out a coloring book, some crayons, and the mp3 player I gave Nessie to listen to. "Sweetie, why don't you go color and listen to music on the corner over there, huh? They have a bean bag and a table there so just wait for us to finish, okay? It'll be boring anyway, Daddy and I will just be reading through all of these papers. You just call us if you need anything okay?" she whispered in her daughter's ear.

Nessie just nodded while carrying all of her stuff in one arm, but not before kissing Bella and I on the cheek.

I turned towards the documents as I saw her making herself comfortable on her little corner and humming quietly to her song as she slowly colored her coloring book.

I pushed my chair closer to Bella's and held her hand.

As if sensing my apprehension to finally getting the opportunity to find out about my family, she squeezed my hand.

"Let's go do this, sweetheart."

I breathed a huge sigh and prepared myself to read about the family I never even knew I had until recently.

**-xXx-**

I tightened my hold on Bella as I felt her shoulders shake with sobs…again.

Somehow, while looking through all of these papers, and finding out exactly how my "families'" lives were, Bella ended up on my lap with my arms around her.

I heard her whimper before she clutched my shirt with her hand while murmuring softly, "Oh, Edward, sweetie this is terrible. How can you sit there calmly while you're reading this?"

I pressed a kiss to her temple and inhaled her soothing scent. Does she really not know that I _wasn't _calm? And even if I were, didn't she realize that _she_ was the one keeping me calm? That she's my rock, my anchor to reality?

"Oh, love, I'm not calm. Hearing all of this breaks my heart. But what can I do? I have to stay strong and just keep reading until the end, hoping that it at least gets better."

Suddenly, she pulled away with a gasp. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. Here, I am bawling my eyes out while you're over there consoling _me_. It should be the other way around," she said, her eyebrows knitting together in concern.

I shook my head before she could get another word in. "Love, just in case you already didn't know, I will always be there to comfort you when you need me," I said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Just holding you, everything feels easier. With you by my side - or on my lap, in this case – I feel like I can take on anything."

She smiled faintly before stroking my cheek. "Well, if you at least need to stop or something, tell me. If I can help you or bring you any kind of comfort, tell me what I can do. I love you," she whispered, as she kissed me softly.

I kissed her back and then gently pushed her head back to where it was laying stationary on my chest.

I glanced at Nessie to see that she was now happily drawing pictures while listening to her music.

Once we saw how entertained Nessie still was, we got back to our reading positions: Bella's head on my chest while holding the papers in front of both of us, and with my arms around her while kissing her silky hair every couple of minutes.

The papers didn't tell us everything we wanted to know but enough to feel like we knew what happened to them. Personal questions - like Anthony's favorite color, food, or his favorite sports – were not in the documents but everything about his medical health and history was there.

We discovered that he was allergic to shrimps and was really healthy and fit which made it worse knowing that he died because of a heart attack at only 60.

On his biography, we found out that he was a musical director at the local symphony which brought a smile to Bella's face.

"It looks like he took after your love for music. He must've enjoyed working and directing the symphony," she said, pride ringing in her voice.

I kissed her forehead, but couldn't help my proud smile from forming for the success of my son.

We kept reading and found out more about Anthony. He met his wife, Nancy, at the symphony, both of them sharing a mutual love for music.

They dated for a while before they got married. They were both passionate about music, Anthony working at the symphony and Nancy working at a local middle school as a music teacher.

Their relationship was easy but unfortunately, they hit some bumps after getting married. They both wanted a child, but they struggled for _years_ trying to conceive. When they were at their wit's ends, they realized that they needed help. They went to the hospital and asked the doctor to take some tests to increase their probability to get pregnant.

After another couple of years trying, hard work, patience, and taking the fertility pills and proper medication, they finally conceived.

Thus, Sarah Annalisse Collins was born.

There were a couple of pictures of Anthony and Nancy – a petite woman who had dark brown hair and warm brown eyes covered under small glasses- and their only child, Sarah.

Unfortunately, after Nancy gave labor to their child, the doctor warned them that Nancy "had a uterine rapture" in the middle of her pregnancy.

Having another child, with her newly damaged uterus, wouldn't have been healthy and dangerous for both the mother and the child.

Although Anthony and his wife were only blessed with one child, it didn't deter them from being the best parents they could be.

Under all of the information on Anthony, Nancy, and their young child, there were pictures of their small family.

Apparently, they lived in a small rural area in Chicago where they were well known and well liked by the community.

Sarah also took both of her parents' love for music and was already a part of her school's musical band before highshool.

There were some pictures of her playing the piano, the violin, and the clarinet with a huge smile on her round face.

The pictures progressed and showed their growth. Anthony and Nancy were slowly forming lines around their eyes, their age marking their faces, and based on the pictures, Sarah grew to be a beautiful woman with kind face.

On most of the pictures during her high school –teenage years- there was a boy – tall dark, handsome, and had a very lean body- next to her, which I'm guessing was Robert.

On the caption below it, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw that his last name was Anderson. He was the guy that my granddaughter was going to marry.

But looking at his handsome and charismatic face, it made me wonder, is this the same guy – the father of Riley - we read about who died of too much alcohol consumption?

Apparently, Bella was thinking along the same thoughts as me because she wondered about this Robert guy as well. "How could someone like him die because of alcohol poisoning? He seems like such a nice guy who was obviously in love with Sarah…" she mused.

I was curious about that as well. But knowing what I knew due to everyone's thoughts, I knew that sometimes people grow up to be someone they never thought they were going to be, do something in the future that makes their families wonder what happened to them.

Unfortunately, we didn't have to wait long to find out what happened to Sarah and Robert.

They ended up getting married straight after college…after they ran away together.

Sarah, it turned out, had a full scholarship to Julliard because of her musical talent but Robert already had his whole future ahead of him…all the way at Stanford University in California.

So, she left her dreams and followed him. Apparently, they were together for the whole Junior and Senior year in high school. Yes, they were young, but that didn't stop them from knowing that they were soul mates.

It was given information that Sarah and her parents constantly argued about her strong relationship with Robert. He, on the other hand, had no one to argue with. As both his parents were dead, leaving him only with a hefty amount of money specifically for his education.

It was one of those arguments with his daughter that Anthony had his fatal heart attack that killed him at only the young age of 60.

This time, there was some helpful medical information that told us exactly why he had a heart attack and was killed because of it when he was such a healthy man.

Apparently, Anthony had a weak heart. It wasn't because he wasn't fit or healthy, he was just born with a weak heart.

Before knowing that his father was having a heart attack because she kept yelling at him, Sarah was already out of the driveway and dashing to Robert's apartment.

Less than a day later, they were on a plane together to California. When Nancy called her daughter to tell her about the news of her father's death, Sarah ignored her mother and answered none of her mother's many calls thinking that they were just trying to stop her from living her life with Robert.

Fresh out of highschool with no support from anyone, Robert and Sarah struggled during college. Yes, the money that Robert's parents left him were a lot, but that was barely enough to cover his tuition fees, school supplies, and the small apartment they lived in.

Struggling to make ends meet and to afford other things outside of their utmost necessity, Sarah went to a community college nearby and decided to be a music teacher instead.

Although she wanted to direct and compose songs for the symphony, Sarah knew that it just wasn't possible. She was just content that she was living her life with Robert and was working for a degree in something music related. Yeah, being a music teacher was nothing compared to being a composer, but she knew that everything would be okay in the long run…

And things were okay…well, more than okay after college.

Years passed, still no contact with her parents, Sarah and Robert graduated college. He had his medical degree while she was working for her teaching credential.

The first few years of medic school was hard for Robert but his girlfriend was there to support him. _More_ years passed and before they knew it, they had their own jobs.

Sarah was a music teacher at a local high school, while Robert worked at the hospital as a small town doctor.

Once things started slowing down and became less chaotic, they decided to get married at a small chapel in California. Sarah's parents –or mother, since her father was dead without her knowledge- weren't invited, only their meager amount of friends they made during their college years were present.

Where most students would party and not care about their grades, Sarah and Robert didn't have the luxury to do so. They had bills to pay, sideline jobs to do, without any one to help them. All throughout college, Sarah didn't try to contact her parents because of her busy schedule and her parents –or at least her _mom_- stopped trying as well.

It wasn't because Nancy gave up on her daughter; it was the complete opposite of that in fact. Unbeknownst to Nancy, Sarah had to cut off her phone because they couldn't afford the extra phone fees.

Years passed before Sarah thought about calling her parents again. Somehow, she found out that Anthony was dead because of a heart attack over their last argument. After that, her guilt stopped her from ever calling again, thinking that her mom blamed her for her father's death.

When more time passed, she thought about calling again, but I guess her pride wouldn't let her. All throughout her life, Sarah and her parents never talked nor reconciled.

The paper only said that she would only sent a few postcards and pictures to her mom back in Chicago, who never left their home in case her daughter decided to come back.

The closest thing that Nancy got about the wedding were a couple of pictures of the married couple. After the wedding, Robert and Sarah were slowly getting out of debt and college loans, so they decided to work harder to earn more money faster.

Working to pay off bills and debts, Sarah and Robert were both busy trying to make a name for themselves.

After years of hard work and countless hours at the hospital, Robert was soon a well known and wealthy doctor.

When things became less chaotic, they decided to move to a slower and less busier town…in North Carolina. Yes, they loved California, but they thought that they should settle down and hopefully start their own family.

Robert and Nancy were newlyweds who thought that they were ready for parenthood. They had the money, the house, and most definitely the love to care for the baby…or so they thought.

Parenthood was something that many thought they were ready for. What they don't realize is that it's not easy.

They failed to see and know that they needed to be patient. Not everything will go according to plan. The baby will cry at the most inappropriate times, it'll throw tantrums that sometimes you won't have the patience to console.

And that's exactly what happened with Robert and Sarah. Once they found out that they were pregnant, they bought everything and anything that a baby could need. They built the nursery before they even knew the sex of the baby. They bought diapers, cribs, and all of the clothes.

Not realizing that buying their baby's stuff would be more expensive that they thought, Robert buried himself at the hospital. He worked even later hours, took overtimes, and worked even on the weekends to earn more money for his family.

For Sarah, motherhood was never a problem for her. While both Robert and she didn't have any other siblings, she was a teacher so her maternal instincts took no time to come out.

Robert, on the other hand, didn't know a thing about being a good father. His parents died at a car accident when he was young so he was forced to live with his strict grandparents.

Although Riley grew up in a big house wanting nothing, he still lacked the love from his father. Robert thought that the only way to make a child happy was to buy him more toys than a small boy would use.

What his dad failed to understand was that a small boy like Riley needed _love and affection_, something that expensive toys and clothes couldn't give.

Robert, of course had no idea what his son really needed. Therefore, Riley grew up feeling like he only had one parent –his mom.

Since Robert never really cared for his son except for giving him gifts, Sarah had to spend more time with Riley to give him the love that his father never showed his son.

Slowly, Robert and Sarah started growing distant. Sarah was spending more time with Riley and Robert spent more time at the hospital to earn more money to be able to buy his family what he thought they needed.

Working so many hours at the hospital and not enough at home, Robert missed almost every major milestone in his son's life.

The first word that little Riley said was "momma" not "dada" or "daddy". The first time Riley walked, Robert was there. But that didn't mean he was happy. He worked a really busy shift at the hospital and the last thing he wanted was to hear his little child bump and fall every few seconds.

It was a miracle if Robert even showed up his son's birthday party as he was always missing because of his job. Only a little boy, Riley was already playing the piano. Although, it was just easy children's songs, he got his mom's love for music as well.

After a couple of years at trying and failing to be the father that his son needed, Robert just gave up. But that didn't mean that he didn't love his wife. To him, Sarah was his everything. Even though she spent more time with Riley than him, he never stopped loving her.

So when she died because of the car accident, Robert lost his mind. It was just a normal cloudy day where Robert was up early to go to the hospital. Sarah, who quit her job as a music teacher until Riley went to preschool at least, drove to the grocery store to buy her son some snacks.

On the way there, she was hit by a drunk driver. She was found dead by the police who knew how much her two boys depended on her.

When Robert found out, he drank himself into stupor not even caring about the small boy who lost the most important woman in his life as well.

Since Robert never drank much alcohol in his life, he got drunk easily, leaving Riley to fend for himself the whole night and the morning while his father was too busy nursing his hangover.

Once Robert brought himself out of his alcohol induced haze, he got over his denial instead. He knew that everything the day before wasn't just some nightmare. His precious wife died…and there was no one to blame but Riley.

Yes, he knew that the drunk driver was more to blame, but his Sarah wouldn't have even needed to drive to the store if it wasn't for his stupid son's mouth that needed to be fed.

The kind and old Robert would have never even considered being mean to a small child, but this Robert had no more Sarah. And no more Sarah meant there was no more point to live in this world.

After Sarah's death, the police thought that their family was okay, that Robert still took care and loved their son…but how wrong they were.

After his precious wife's death, Robert found himself in a huge house with his son that was practically a stranger to him.

At the young age of four, Robert had no idea how to be a parent to Riley. Since Sarah practically raised and took care of Riley all by herself, Robert was totally clueless as to what to do with his son.

It didn't help that every time, he looked at Riley, he saw his wife's bright jade eyes, her dark hair, and her warm smile. The only thing that Riley ever took after him was his unruly hair. Besides that, Riley was a complete stranger to him.

When he went to work, he couldn't focus on his patients feeling too distraught to even concentrate. Every time there was a problem at the hospital, Robert immediately went to his stash of alcohol and drank his problems away.

There was no food in the pantry, Sarah was the only one who knew how to cook. Riley was forced to sometimes go for days not eating; but on the days where his stomach couldn't take the emptiness anymore, he searched what cabinets he could reach for anything edible.

When their neighbors saw that Robert never left for the hospital anymore, they started visiting. They saw how malnourished Riley was and gave him food and took care of him.

Robert was so out of it because of his newly acquired drinking problem that even Sarah's friends showing affection to their son –who's fault it was that she was dead in the first place- angered him.

But of course, he hid his anger well. It was only after they visited that he started hurting Riley…sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally and mentally.

There were days where he yelled at his son for no reason, blaming him for Sarah's death, and just left him crying to drink with his friends.

But there were worst days…days where he hit him. Pull out his soft baby hair while forcing him to work and clean the house.

Riley – of course – couldn't and wouldn't tell anyone. Not only was he too little to go to the police station all by himself, he also didn't want his dad to go to prison. He knew that if he did, he would be left all alone in a big house with no one.

Unfortunately, it wasn't his decision to make. Robert, apparently, got fired at his job for slacking off too much and showing up at the hospital drunk one too many times.

That was when he bought a pack of strong beer and drank until he couldn't see straight anymore. That was the last night that Riley ever saw his dad alive.

After his father's death, Riley was put into a group home because he had no other living relatives.

And that was it. No more information on whether or not Riley was or is happy there, it didn't say anything else about him except that he was now currently living in a group home not far away from here.

Reading that last part made my still heart almost want to skip a beat. My great-grandson, who's been through so many things that children twice his age shouldn't have experienced, was living less than twenty minutes away from me.

"Oh no! Poor Riley…he lost his mom and then his dad so soon. He must feel so frightened and overwhelmed…Oh, Edward, we have to go see him. Let's at least see how he's doing," Bella said, breaking the silence –except for Nessie's quiet voice in the corner humming to her music.

I kissed her forehead. If only she knew that the decision was already made.

"Of course, love. How about we call Dr. Simms over to ask her if she knows anything else about Riley, alright? Then, we'll go check on him."

She nodded, already getting off my lap.

Bella then headed to Nessie and sat down with her while I kissed both of their temples before going down the hallway to call the doctor over.

"Good afternoon. How may I help yo-"the young nurse said before looking up and getting flustered.

She gaped at me with her tongue slightly hanging out. I cleared my throat as soon as her thoughts started getting more vivid.

She blushed a deep red – which was nowhere near as beautiful as Bella's human blush – before asking me what I wanted.

"If you could please call Dr. Simms over to her office, I'd gladly appreciate it. She told us to wait for her after we were done so please notify her that we're waiting," I said.

Once she heard my voice, I saw in her mind what she was going to do. Just as she was about to flirt with me, I ran my _left_ hand through my hair, effectively showing her my wedding band.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard her disappointment and was even more relieved when she didn't attempt to try and flirt with me again. It was nice to see that while some women were attracted to us physically, they stepped down once they knew we were married.

Unfortunately, sometimes we just weren't lucky. It was good to know that some women still had class.

I gave her a brief nod before going back to my two angels.

I opened the door and saw both of them talking, Nessie perched on her mother's lap.

"So, we're gonna visit Riley after this?" my little angel asked.

Before Bella could say anything, I sat on the bean bag next to theirs and held Nessie's other hand. I nodded for Bella to continue.

"Yes, baby. But when we get there, don't say anything about his parents okay? We don't know how he'll react to us…"

"Okay…why am I not sapose to ask about his parents?" Nessie asked, her curiosity winning over. "Is something wrong with his mommy and daddy?"

I saw Bella's shoulders slump and I knew that she was about to start crying about Riley's past in front of our daughter who knew nothing.

I stepped in before Nessie had a chance to ask why her mom looked so sad. "Well, Nessie, you know how my other parents – Gramma Lizzie and Grampa Edward – are in heaven? Well, Riley's parents are there, too. And we don't want to say anything in case it makes him sad, okay?"

I truly didn't even know if someone like Robert even had a place in heaven, but right now I needed to make my daughter understand.

Her eyes widened and started getting glassier. "Really? But…but…he's so young. Isn't he only four?"

"Yes, baby girl, but sometimes, we don't get to pick when our family goes to heaven or not," I smiled sadly. "That's God's job. But don't be sad, I'm sure his parents are resting peacefully in heaven, watching over Riley."

She nodded before hugging me. Nessie loved all of her grandparents – my human parents, Carlisle and Esme, Charlie and Renee, she even considered Billy Black as her other grandpa – and she knew how important having a loving family was to a small child.

And a loving family was something Riley was now missing too.

As I pulled Bella to my other side and hugged both my girls to my chest, Dr. Simms came in.

She saw our sad faces and didn't saying anything, already knowing how fast Riley's life turned for the worst just because of one car accident.

Once both Nessie and Bella calmed down slightly, I brought us all back to our feet.

Nessie buried her face in her mother's hair while Bella held on to me.

"Thank you for letting us read the documents. Do you by any chance know anything more about Riley? It didn't say much about his current life…"

Dr. Simms shook her head slightly. "I'm afraid not. As much as people need certain information about someone, the hospital doesn't give away those kind of things about minors without their parent's consent…and Riley, well both his parents are dead, so…" she trailed off, images about happy nurses talking about Riley going through her mind.

Her thoughts made me wonder if she has even met Riley. "Have you met Riley? The group home isn't that far away from here and his old house is only a block away."

"Sadly, no. I just started working here two years ago, and by that time, Riley was already at the foster house," she said, her smile turning softer. "But I have spoken to some staff members who have worked here longer and they told me stories about how Riley would visit with his mom at this hospital. I believe this is even where his dad worked."

"Really? That's great. He must've been young then. His mother seemed nice as well," Bella said with a small smile.

"I heard he was, very kind and always curious about everything as well. Everyone loved Sarah as well. As for Robert…well I heard he was okay, a bit on the work-a-holic side but was…" she trailed off as she saw Bella's fierce expression.

"Work-a-holic…that's right. He never loved Riley," she said bitterly.

I could sense that the doctor wanted to disagree with her, not wanting to talk bad about Robert, but also agreeing with Bella's opinion.

Sensing that Bella was in her momma-bear mood, I decided to get us out of here before she went off on anyone when her anger was truly directed at Robert.

"Erm, do you think you could give us the group home Riley's currently living in? We were thinking about visiting him," I interrupted the silence awkwardly.

She just nodded, clearly relieved that the awkward silence was broken. "Yes, of course. I'm pretty sure you guys could squeeze in a visit. They don't usually let other come over after eight," she looked down at her watch. "So you guys have the whole afternoon, that is if Riley is even there. They let the smaller children play and do some lame activities around lunch time usually."

After she wrote down the address at a post it note, we left for the group center, but not before promising Dr. Simms another last visit before we went back home.

**-xXx-**

"Is this it? It doesn't look big enough for a lot of children and some teenagers to fit in here…" Bella said as I parked the car.

She was right. The Group Home was very small considering that it was supposed to shelter many children of different ages.

It was a house or two away from a nearby park that was hustling and bustling with small children playing with each other and their parents watching them.

The busy and fun atmosphere of the nearby park was a stark contrast to Riley's foster home. If it weren't for the dirty and halfway broken canopy swing on the front porch or the shoes – which varied in sizes and designs – it would've passed for an abandoned house.

The lawn was not neatly mowed -the grasses all varying in lengths- and was lacking some serious watering. The small staircase that led to the front door was rickety and unstable, something that immediately worried Bella and I knowing that kids would be running and stepping on these stairs who might injure themselves.

The building itself wasn't better. The brown paint was peeling off and the pipes were all rusty and dirty.

As if sensing that the atmosphere wasn't good, Nessie immediately jumped in Bella's arms and buried her face in her mommy's hair while I held my wife's hand.

We rang the small doorbell. With our sensitive hearing, Bella and I heard a woman's tight voice yelling at the children to shut up.

We heard some of the smaller kids whimper before the door was open. We were immediately greeted by a cranky short lady who tried to smile at us which looked more like a grimace.

Based on our clothes and neat appearance, she knew that we weren't locals.

"Good afternoon. What brings you guys here?" she asked trying to make her voice sound light, but even I could hear the tension behind it.

"Hello, pleasure to meet you. We are Edward and Bella Cullen from Chicago and we were at the hospital nearby and we were appointed to meet a Mr. Riley Anderson," Bella said kindly, making sure to emphasize that we didn't know that Riley was only four years old. "The doctor said he was supposed to be here. May we see him?"

As if sensing that this wasn't a normal visit, the lady was immediately on guard.

"Yes, of course, follow me. I'm Bertha by the way, the head manager of this group home."

She led us in her office, a small room that could barely pass as a closet. It was bare with dull brown wallpaper, with a small desk, and an old computer.

She sat us down on the small couch that had its covers ripped at the seams as she sat down on her small chair across from us.

"Now please if you wouldn't mind, could you tell me again why you're seeing Riley."

"Like my wife said, we were planning to buy a house in Chicago but our realtors contacted us and told us that some complications came up. We don't exactly know what those complications were but they told us to just meet a Riley Anderson," I explained. "And then after we meet him, we're supposed to call our realtors back in Chicago."

Her eyes went wide. She looked at our clothes again and mentally assessed that we weren't just new comers in her town…we were _rich_ visitors from busy Chicago.

I haven't even known her for more than ten minutes and already I was disgusted by her greed. Based on her thoughts, I knew that she wasn't interested in the children's health or what they wanted.

The only purpose of them being here, according to Bertha, was to earn her money. If they couldn't, she wanted them out of here as soon as possible.

As long as they were adopted, she was happy. She never even cared if a criminal wanted to adopt one of the children; all she cared about was having one less mouth to feed.

"Ahhh, is that so? A house in Chicago?" she tried to play it cool, but I could hear the excitement and greed hidden underneath her words. "Excuse me for a second. Let me just go see what Riley is up to."

Bertha got up from her chair which squeaked loudly as she sat up and left the room.

She went to the kitchen and used the phone there to call her assistant, Bridgette.

"Bridgette, get that Riley boy down at my office. There are some visitors here that want to meet him and they look _rich_," she exclaimed happily.

Unbeknownst to her, Bella and I could hear her whole conversation.

"What? Ms. Bertha please! Can you _at least_ meet them and get to know them first before signing adoption papers?" her kind voice turning bitter and protective. "Or have you forgotten what happened to him when you forced him to stay with the Smiths who were unkind to them no matter how rich they were?"

The old lady heaved a gasp. "Don't you dare say something of that relation!" she whisper-yelled into the phone. "I had that boy's best intentions at heart! 'Tis not my fault if no one wants him!"

"What do you mean 'no one wanted him'?! He ran back here! Because of you 'watching out for his intentions!'" Bridgette said mockingly.

Bertha breathed a huge sigh and I could hear her trying to calm herself down. "Listen, you are my _assistant;_ _I_ am the boss. Do as I say. Bring the boy down here now!"

As Bridgette was about to protest, Bertha hung up the phone. We could hear her marching to us and immediately looked aimlessly at the small room, pretending as if we weren't just eavesdropping.

"I just called Riley down," she smiled apologetically. "He'll be here shortly. Would you like anything to drink? Eat, perhaps?"

I could see in her mind that they had little to no food in the pantry. I could see that they were just about to cook the remaining food for the children's lunch, which I knew wasn't enough to feed at least twenty hungry kids.

As for dinner, I guess they were going hungry…unless they had an extra hidden stash of food that Bertha knew nothing about.

I shook my head as politely as I could. "No thank you. We just ate lunch before stopping by here so we're all quite full."

With no other subject for small talk, the room got quiet real fast. The only thing that was audible was the ticking of the old clock on the corner.

Minutes passed…until _more_ minutes passed and there was still a no-show.

I could hear from her thoughts that Bertha was getting impatient. Apparently, Bridgette followed every one of her orders…that is unless it concerned the children. It was then that she took matters in her own hands and made decisions based on what the kids needed and wanted; not what Bertha ordered and commanded, something that Bertha hated.

As the hands on the clock ticked on, Bertha grew more impatient to the point where she stood up rather ungracefully and stormed out of the room as gently as she could while muttering a quiet, "be right back".

I could hear her heavy footsteps as she stomped her way to the second floor. It was apparently where all the small children stayed in. The older teenagers lived in the third floor.

I kissed Bella's head and Nessie's cheek that wasn't resting on her mother's chest before sneaking closer to the second floor so I could read Bertha's mind.

Since I was unfamiliar with her mind, I needed to be closer to hear to be within hearing range.

I saw, in her mind, the little girls playing on the floor with their small ragged dolls. I could hear from her thoughts that she found them annoying.

"You, you, and you! Go back to your beds and do something productive. Instead of playing with these god forsaken dolls, read a book! Do something!" she yelled. "No wonder no one wants to adopt y'all. You are nothing but worthless little children!"

I heard more than saw the girls trying to hide their tears, already scrambling out of the way, already having had the experience of getting yelled at by Bertha.

Unfortunately, a smaller and younger girl moved a little too slow that she got her doll kicked out of her arms.

Thankfully, before she could actually hurt the little girl, another voice was heard.

"Ms. Bertha! I told you to not hurt them! Riley is in his bed if you're looking for him. But I am warning you, I will check on him later so he better be there when I see him later," with that, she then consoled the little girl.

I followed Bertha's thoughts again and saw Riley all alone in his room. It couldn't even be labeled as his room because it had two bunk beds in it, a sign that it was shared by three other children.

I'm sure Riley was even more beautiful than in the pictures, but his outward appearance didn't help him look so. His clothes were dirty and raggedly, while his unruly brown hair was caked in dirt.

"Boy, were you not aware that I wanted you downstairs? Someone wants to see you" she barked out making Riley drop his toy car out of his small dirty hands.

He looked up at her, his dark green eyes showing how lonely and sad he was.

"I-I-I'm sorry M-M-Miss Bertha…I had a tummy ache and I had to go potty. I'm going to come down right now…" he said, scrambling to his shoeless feet that were unsurprisingly dirty.

Bertha pushed his head down back on the hardwood floor. "No. They will come up here. For all I know, you would never even bother showing up. Stay here and try to clean up yourself as much as you can, you dirty boy!"

She then slammed the door, thinking that I couldn't hear her. As I heard her footsteps ascending the stairs, I dashed back to her office.

I saw Bella and by the look on my face, she knew it wasn't good.

"Oh, love, this is worse than we thought. She actually _hit_ him! She even hurt the other children who were just playing on the floor! Oh, we have to get him out of here," my voice bordering on hysteria. "We have to get them all out of here."

She ran her hands through my hair. "Sweetheart just calm down, alright? One step at a time," she consoled me.

I sat down and let out a fake laugh as I heard the door open.

Bertha came in, trying to turn her grimace into a smile.

"I deeply apologize but Riley won't come out. If you wouldn't mind, could you just follow me up there?"

Bella and I nodded, climbing the stairs up to the second floor.

For the life of me, I couldn't even pay attention to my surroundings, still thinking back on how cruel Bertha was with the kids.

It wasn't much longer before she stopped us at one of the many small rooms.

"Here you go. I'll just be right outside…I'll give you guys time to talk to him."

Bella and I entered the room, immediately crowding its already small area.

Riley, who apparently put his toy away, was cowering in a small corner his body forming into a little ball.

As Bella crouched down to talk to him, he whimpered, "P-p-please d-d-don't h-hurt me."

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**A/N: So, what do you guys think? Don't worry, you'll find out more about Robert and Sarah's life and about Riley in the next chapter.**

**Leave a review...**


	8. A Day at the Group Home

**A/N: Tada! Another chapter! I honestly think I'm spoiling you all with these quick updates…**

**Thank you for the people who reviewed and for the new readers who put this story on their Alert's list, thank you as well!**

**Don't forget to leave a review at the end if you have any questions or comments.**

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**Chapter 8: A Day at the Group Home**

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**(BPOV)**

My heart broke as I heard his quiet plea.

I passed a sleeping Nessie to Edward so I could kneel down on the floor.

I reached a hand to Riley and gently touched his thin shoulder. Immediately, his shaking grew more aggressive as his cries turned louder.

"Sweetheart, no one is going to hurt you. My name is Bella. Please just look at me. I'm not going to hurt you…" I coaxed softly as I ran my hand through his dirty hair.

His whimpers lowered to sniffles before he turned his head slightly to me.

I nodded my head in encouragement. "There you go, sweetie," I then heaved an exaggerated gasp as our eyes met. "Why, Riley, what nice eyes you have!"

He then giggled as a small happy smile graced his tiny lips. "Thank you, Miss. My mommy gave me my eyes."

Although it was worded awkwardly, I knew that he meant that he got his eye color from his mom. I decided not to correct his grammar.

"Well they are beautiful," I sensed that he was calm enough to introduce Edward and Nessie. "This is Edward and Nessie behind me. Would you like to say hello to them?"

Riley then looked up for the first time and looked at all of us inquisitively. Once he saw our clean and unwrinkled clothes, he started fidgeting as he self-consciously looked down at his ragged t-shirt and pants.

As if sensing that Riley was embarrassed because of his appearance, Edward reached a hand to the little boy.

"Hello there, Mr. Riley. Bella is right, little one. Your eyes are quite a sight to see."

Riley only smiled shyly in response as his little hand connected with Edward's big ones. "Thank you, Mr. Edward," he said politely.

Before the silence could turn awkward, I introduced Nessie. "Riley, this is our daughter, Nessie."

As I gently rubbed her back, Nessie started to wake up.

"Mommy? Where are we?" she asked slightly in a groggy voice.

"Baby, we're at Riley's room. Would you like to say hello to him?"  
Immediately, my daughter brightened up at the idea of meeting her new relative.

I told Edward to drop her and held her hand as we walked closer to Riley.

Although he was taller than her, he didn't seem so as he cowered into himself slightly as my short daughter walked over to him.

She held out a small hand for him to shake. "Hello, my name is Renesmee. But people usually call me Nessie. What do you like to be called?"

"My name is Riley and that's the only thing I've been called," he replied as he reached out a hand for Ness to shake.

Geez, is it normal for such young kids to be so polite?

I looked at Edward. Now that the introductions were over, what were supposed to do now? Did we even have a plan as to how what we were going to tell Riley? What are we even planning to tell Riley?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, we all heard Bertha's yell.

"Children! It's lunchtime! Come down here before it runs out."

'Before the lunch runs out'? Were these kids even given enough to eat? Or were they forced to share what little amount of food they were given?

I looked at Riley's thin body and knew that this home wasn't giving them enough to eat.

Whether it was because they didn't have enough money or for another unknown reason, I didn't know.

But why wouldn't anyone fund them? They're not that far away from the hospital and all the locals seem nice. Wouldn't they have at least donated some money to these children who clearly needed it?

I didn't have time to ponder on it as I heard Riley's heart nearly leap out of his chest as he heard Bertha's yell. He scrambled to his feet as I heard his stomach growl loudly.

He blushed a deep pink before regaining back his manners. "Excuse me but it's lunch. Would you guys like to eat with us? There might not be enough food but you guys can always share with me…" he offered as his empty stomach protested.

I smiled sadly down at him. He was such a kind boy who was already starving yet still offered to share his food. "No thank you, sweetheart. You just enjoy your lunch all to yourself, alright?"

He nodded gratefully before showing us to their kitchen.

It wasn't small by any means. But it did look empty and undesirable. The white tiles were dirty and had bits of food stuck in between them.

The pantry was empty, except for some cup noodles that was not healthy for the kids. When a small kid opened the their sorry excuse of a fridge, I saw how empty and barren it was.

There weren't any vegetables, fruits, meat, or any other basic ingredients for a good home cooked meal. The only source of food they had were microwavable meals that were in frozen packages that weren't healthy or tasty.

My heart went out to the children who were forced to eat them knowing that they might have stomach aches because of how artificial some of their meals were.

Although the kitchen seemed empty of proper food, it was clean and immaculate. As I saw a short woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties, I knew that she was the one to thank.

Her apron was hanging off of her body as she desperately tried to evenly serve some soup she cooked.

Children of all ages were huddled around the small counter, each with bowls and small spoons clutched to their chests.

Thankfully, this wasn't one of the many group homes where the older and bigger kids bullied the smaller and younger ones.

All the young boys and girls were the closest to the counter, the older children waiting patiently in line although I could all hear their stomachs grumbling.

I could see little Riley trying to stay firm on his feet as he lined up with the others. Although he was four, he seemed much younger with his thin and short appearance, which I'm guessing was due to not getting the proper nutrients his body needed.

I could see him swaying slightly on his feet and his face paler than usual. Thankfully, the cook noticed it as well and gave him some water with an apologetic smile on her kind face.

It broke my heart to see that some of these children were a little light-headed because of many missed meals. Although my parents weren't the richest – Renee just being a substitute teacher and Charlie as a small town cop – I never once missed a meal because there was no food on the table.

When it came for their turn to be served, every child gave a small delightful squeal no matter how small their portion was.

Although human food tasted and looked nasty to vampires, the children's soups looked more unappealing.

I saw the cook measure out exactly two cups of soup for every bowl. Although it looked disgusting, the children didn't even bat an eyelash, just grateful that they were being fed.

The soup looked like it came out of a can and they were only given one small roll of bread that looked a bit stale.

Once all of the children were children were served, some sat down at the dining table while some sat on the sofa watching from a small and old T.V.

Everyone was grouped up and talking with their friends so it was easy to spot Riley who was sitting on the corner, eating his soup and bread slowly.

My heart broke even more as I saw his longing gaze at the kids playing with one another.

I looked at Edward and he decided to join me as well. We both kneeled down to talk to the little lonely boy.

"Hey, Riley. Why are you sitting here all alone?" I asked gently.

His sad green eyes connected with mine and I could feel a pull…the same warm feeling creeping into my chest as he looked up at me, the same exact feeling I experienced when I first held Renesmee for the first time.

I knew without a doubt that by the end of this trip to North Carolina, there would be a fourth passenger on the plane with us back home.

"Oh hi again, Ms. Bella. I usually like to sit by myself…" he replied, not knowing that we knew it was a lie.

I knew that no kid his age would want to eat by himself while children around him were playing and talking together.

He blushed an adorable pink as I looked around the room. I could sense his embarrassment so I decided to keep my eyes on him.

I knew how embarrassing it was for others to see how alone I you were, already having experienced that in my awkward middle school and early highschool years.

"That's okay. I like sitting by myself as well," Edward said, sensing how uncomfortable Riley was. "Do you mind telling us what you're eating?"

Riley's eyes dropped down towards his bowl that was nearly empty of its contents no matter how much his stomach still growled for more food.

"Oh, Ms. Bridgette said it was tomato soup…it tastes icky," he said while shaking his head. "I never liked tomatoes."

As he forced himself to drink the last spoonful of soup, he picked up his uneaten small piece of bread.

He then broke off a small chunk off of it. I guess Riley was one of the smarter kids, eating bits and pieces of his food slowly to make it last.

As he was slowly picking on his bread, not wasting a crumb, he fidgeted self-consciously as we watched him eat.

Feeling him and knowing how awkward it felt to be watched eating, I elbowed Edward discreetly and mouthed, "Don't watch him."

Edward nodded and then started playing with Nessie's hair who was looking around the room.

While Riley was still eating his bread and watching T.V., the cook came over to talk to the children.

Thankfully, she was _much_ nicer to them than Bertha, asking them if they were okay or not.

Once she saw Riley sitting on a corner, her heart leaped for a second as she looked lost in her thoughts.

Wondering what that was all about, I lifted my shield to ask Edward a question.

_Does she know him? What is she thinking?_

Usually, I would never condone just looking through someone's mind without permission, but my great grandson was concerned here and I needed to know who this Bridgette girl was and how she knew him.

"Apparently, she's a friend of Sarah and knew Riley ever since he was a child," he whispered so only I could hear him. "When she heard that Riley was put into this group home after her best-friend's death, she didn't hesitate to volunteer here."

Once he finished his brief explanation, my admiration grew for Bridgette.

There weren't enough people who would take their own time to volunteer at a group home to take care of children that you weren't even related to.

After asking Riley if he needed anything else, Bridgette finally noticed us and immediately put two and two together.

"You're those people that Ms. Bertha was talking about?" she said accusatorily.

Thinking that we were here to adopt Riley, she was immediately on guard. I couldn't exactly disagree with her because I knew without a doubt that I wanted to adopt Riley. I wanted to take him out of this horrible house and give him a _real_ home.

But that didn't mean that we were planning to kidnap him and force him to go to Forks with us. And besides, even if we were planning to adopt him, our time here wasn't done.

Ambitious or not, before we left for Forks, I at least want to help out the other children.

Since we all couldn't adopt them, the least we could do was make sure that things would get better after we left.

"Yes. Pleasure to meet you. I heard that you're name was Bridgette? I'm Bella Cullen and this is my husband, Edward, and our daughter, Nessie," I said kindly, not wanting to get on her bad side.

Bridgette may be our only hope of ever finding out how this house was truly run. It seemed as if she was more fit to be the manager for this group home, _not_ Bertha.

"That's me. Bridgette Amarati, the assistant manager and part-time cook here. If you wouldn't mind me asking…why are you guys here?" she asked as politely as she could.

I looked at Edward since he said that he already had a plan and knew what to say.

"We were sent here from Chicago to go visit the hospital two blocks away from here. We went there this morning to go look at some documents and then they told us to go here and meet Riley. Said that it was better to get to know him."

"May I ask, why do you have to 'get to know him'?"

Edward looked at me and I nodded for him to give her the real story.

Thankfully, we could sense that Bridgette was truly the one who took care for the children and wasn't greedy so I knew that we wouldn't make a mistake in telling her about Riley being a Masen.

"This might take some time as it is such a long story…" Edward trailed off.

Bridgette looked around and once she saw how all of the children were still preoccupied and then replied. "I've got time to listen."

Edward took a deep breath and explained. "Well we were one of the potential buyers of an old house in Chicago, the _Masen _House to be more specific. When we were just about to sign the official documents, something came up. The realtors said that the house couldn't be ours yet because there was still one _living_ Masen descendant."

All eyes turned towards Riley who was too busy smiling at the T.V. screen.

"Are you trying to say that _Riley_ is the only living descendant of the original Masens?" she asked slowly, finally catching on.

Unexpectedly, Edward said, "Yes and no."

His answer confused me. Wasn't Riley the only living relative of the Masens? Not counting Edward, of course. But they couldn't know that he was the Masens' only son. So what was he trying to say?

Thankfully, he explained further. "As it turns out, my great grandfather was a distant cousin of Edward Sr. So that would make him and his wife my great, _great, great grand _uncle and aunt."

Even with my advanced brain, I was still confused about what he said. And looking at Bridgette's slightly dazed face, I knew her head was reeling as well.

Thankfully, she didn't ask any more questions about our relation to the Masens.

She brought us some extra plastic chairs to sit on and even Riley sat with us. As everyone was finishing their activities – they were already done eating their meager food within only a couple of minutes it was served – Bertha yelled out another set of orders.

"Clean up! Lunch is over, you little git-"she barked out but stopped mid sentence when she saw us in the living room.

Immediately, her voice turned softer as she desperately tried to not yell at the scampering children who were heading to the sink all in one line.

It truly amazed me to see such polite and well mannered children even though their manager was being mean to them.

"I-I-I mean, let's all wash up and freshen up, shall we girls and boys?" she stuttered in a sickly sweet voice for a little bit before dashing out of the living room.

As we could hear her trying to yell at the children discreetly, Bridgette rolled her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry about her. She's not the best manager we've had but the mayor thinks she is more fit for the job as she's had experience in working at group homes," she said but I could see her grimace the entire time she was apologizing for Bertha.

With her kind face, and an even kinder heart, I knew _she_ was more fitting to be the leading manager instead of Bertha. "Experience? In what treating little children so horribly? Ruling what she thinks is a home based on a monarchy?" I couldn't hide my bitter tone. "But what about _you_, Bridgette?"

She fidgeted nervously on her seat as the living room cleared. "What about me?"

"I mean, you said that they mayor thought that _she's_ the better choice as the manager, but does he really? Doesn't he know how cruel she is to these kids?" As I heard my voice, even I could detect my own desperation coating my words. "Doesn't he know that _you_ are more fit to be the manager of this home? That instead of yelling at these kids, you'll be patient with them? Actually love them and care for them?"

She just blinked in response to my rant. "Thank you for saying that. I agree with you completely…but, this place has been run by Ms. Bertha for so long that whenever I tried to make a change - or anyone of the other nice volunteers – we're just shot down immediately," she whispered as she looked around the room cautiously before continuing. "And whenever I had any new ideas to make things better around here, the community wouldn't fund them."

"What do you mean 'the community wouldn't fund them'?" my husband asked although he most likely already knew the answer.

"Well not the 'community' per se, more like the mayor and the town committee. They think that my ideas are too expensive and will take more time so they just choose not to listen to me," she explained sadly. "And besides, if Ms. Bertha's not the one suggesting it, they all don't listen anyway. Not only are they scared of her, they haven't really paid much attention on how she rules this home so they don't know how much these children suffer."

Just at the mere mention of all of the other times these children suffered made me want to dash down to the mayor's office and force him to see how mean Bertha was to these kids.

All of a sudden, the silence of the living room was broken by some angry shouts from the kitchen.

Just as she heard some sniffling and silent whimpers, Bridgette stood up. "I'm sorry to cut this talk short but I have to go check on them. Bertha…is always strict about clean up after meal times so I have to see how the kids are doing."

We stood up as well. "Yes, of course, sorry if we're interrupting."

"Oh not at all Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. You guys coming here has been like a breath of fresh air. Things have been getting worse and worse and just hearing your support for me already made my day. Is there any other way I can help you guys?"

Knowing that this was the best opening we could get, I jumped at the opportunity. "Actually, there is. If you wouldn't mind, could we continue this conversation later? We were hoping to get more answers about Riley and this shelter in general."

"Sure thing," her smile faded as she looked down at her watch. "But I'm afraid we'll have to continue it later. After meal times, Ms. Bertha usually kicks out what little visitors we have because she wants all hands on deck for clean up…"

Thinking that we couldn't hear her, she muttered under her breath bitterly,"…all hands on deck except hers. Lazy old woman."

I suppressed a smile at her overprotective nature for the children and the group home.

"But could we maybe come back later? What time does this break end anyway?"

She looked down at her watch again. "It usually ends at 4:15. So you guys are going to have to come back in four hours."

Four hours? Could I last that long knowing that while we were outside, these children were stuck here, being forced to work?

Seeing the horror on my face, Bridgette offered a better alternative hesitantly. "I'm sorry if that seems so long. Ms. Bertha usually forces the children to take naps. The younger ones all follow her, but the older ones…well, they just read books or watch T.V. quietly," she said apologetically. "Although Ms. Bertha said that she wants them to take naps to grow taller and become stronger, I reckon it's her 'peaceful' time away from noise. Not that she doesn't get enough time alone. God knows that she doesn't do anything here but yell and bark out orders…bossy…mean…absolutely cruel old lady…" she trailed off before blushing a deep red as she realized we were still listening.

I grinned at her as my admiration grew. Judging from her recent actions, Bridgette would be the main key to changing this shelter for the better. Somehow, I knew that she and I would become close friends.

"That's alright. What we talked about here stays here. We promise to not tell anyone," I vowed while nudging Edward to do the same.

He nodded as he brushed some hair off of Nessie's forehead. "We assure you that whatever you told us won't be heard by anyone else."

Bridgette nodded before continuing on her offer. "But what I did forget to say is that…whenever the children are taking naps, I'm usually left alone doing nothing," she said. "So if you guys have nowhere to go, you all are certainly welcome at my house - that is literally two minutes away from here - and I can tell you more about Riley and anything else you wanted to know there."

Involuntarily, I released a delightful squeal.

_Geez, tone it down a bit, Cullen. Do you want her to think you're psycho?_

I cleared my throat unnecessarily and glared at Edward from the corner of my eye as I heard his silent chuckle.

"Of course, that would be lovely…if you don't mind us barging into your home and interrupting your privacy," I said, although I had trouble forcing the words out, my subconscious disagreeing with me.

I didn't care if she said no, I would've dragged both Edward and Nessie to her house and handcuff ourselves there so Bridgette could explain everything.

Seeing my tortured yet excited expression, Edward knew the turmoil I was going through and tried to stifle another one of his laughs.

I glared at him once more which finally did the job. He stepped closer to me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Like my wife said, we would love to stop by your house…but only if we wouldn't interrupt anything," he said, always the smooth-talker.

Bridgette just waved us off. "Oh don't even think that. You guys are welcome to meet me there. But could you maybe stop by after fifteen minutes?" she asked. "I have to get cleaned up a bit and then put these children to bed. Then I'll meet you guys there. Sound good?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. We'll meet you there later."

She nodded and then wrote her address on a scrap piece of paper before helping the children clean up.

As I heard Bertha _still_ barking out orders, I grabbed Edward who grabbed Nessie and left the house. I knew that if we stayed here for one more second, I would end up clawing that Bertha's hair off of her head.

Once we got Nessie settled in the backseat, I laid my head against Edward's chest as he opened my door for me.

"Oh, Edward, baby what are we going to do? We have to help them," I said, desperation and helplessness coating my voice.

He pulled me tighter against his chest and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry, love, we will. One step a time."

As I looked at the halfway dilapidated building in front of us, I knew he was right.

There was no way in hell I would leave for Forks without helping these poor children.

By the time we leave North Carolina, everything will change for the better…

Starting from replacing Bridgette as the head manager.

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**A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Leave a review.**

**This chapter wasn't supposed to end yet but I wanted to give you guys a fast update before things get hectic again. Beside, this seemed like a good place to end this chapter.**

'**Till next time!**


	9. An Afternoon at Bridgette's

**A/N: Anyone wanna be my beta? Still looking for one...**

**I just want to say that this chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but I decided to cut it in half. Sorry for the long wait guys. Hope you all like this chapter.**

**Don't forget to review at the end so I know what you all think.**

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**Chapter 9: An Afternoon at Bridgette's**

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**(EPOV)**

"Sorry I know it's not much…but home is home," Bridgette said apologetically as she unlocked her front door.

My lovely wife just waved off her apology. "What are you talk about, Bridgette? Your house is beautiful," she complimented while looking around the small yet very homey house.

Bridgette was being gracious enough to let us stop by her house to explain everything.

I looked down at Nessie and couldn't help but chuckle at her wonderstruck expression as she took in her surroundings.

She was staring at all of the cute owl paintings, statues, and pictures that were all over the house.

"Yeah – if you guys haven't noticed, I'm kinda obsessed with owls," she explained awkwardly as she saw Nessie looking at the birds.

We all smiled at her warmly but decided not to look around too much to not make her feel self-conscious.

"You guys want something to eat? You guys thirsty?" she offered to all of us.

Bella and I shook our heads while using our classical excuse, "We just stopped by at a restaurant so we're still kind of full."

Bridgette just nodded and looked down to little Nessie who was clutching both Bella and I's hands. "What about you, little one? You hungry or thirsty?"

I could hear from her thoughts that Nessie was a bit thirsty but didn't want to ask anything because she thought she was going to cause trouble and be a burden.

Decidedly, her thirst for something hot to warm her up on this cold day won. She looked up at her mommy, her silent way of asking permission. Bella kneeled down to her eye-level. "You hungry or thirsty, baby?"

Nessie nodded her head while replying shyly. "Just a little bit, Mommy."

My love then kissed Nessie's flushed cheeks – which turned the most adorable rosy tint due to the cold and weather outside. "Well why don't we tell Ms. Bridgette that you're thirsty?"

Like her mother, Nessie was shy to strangers at first. But once you get her talking, there was no way to stop her.

She looked up at Bridgette and asked in a small voice, "May I please have something to drink, Ms. Brid-get-te?"

She smiled indulgently down at my daughter. "Sure thing, Ness. But what would you like? Water or hot cocoa? And you can call me Ms. B," she then winked at my daughter when she heard how she struggled to pronounce her long name properly.

Nessie giggled and smiled at her shyly. "Hot cocoa please."

"Coming right up. Extra marshmallows?"

Nessie just nodded her head before ducking her head shyly behind Bella's knees to hide her blushing face.

As Bridgette headed to her small but very clean kitchen to make hot cocoa, we sat on the soft sofa that was across a small single plush chair.

Minutes later, she came back with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa, the sickly sweet smell of marshmallows wafting through the air.

She handed Nessie hers as she sat down across from us.

Bridgette sat there, sipping her hot drink quietly for a few minutes. I could hear in her mind that she was still thinking about what she wanted to say.

Once Nessie got bored drinking her hot cocoa, Bella got out her purse again and brought out our daughter's iPod, coloring book, and a box of crayons.

After asking Bridgette for permission, Nessie perched herself on the cozy rug in front of the fireplace and colored on the small coffee table.

Once my daughter was fully preoccupied, Bridgette cleared her throat.

"Well now that we're settled, what was it that you guys wanted to ask?" she asked.

Bella and I looked at each other. I nodded at my wife once I saw the request in her eyes.

She turned to Bridgette. "Before we wanted to know about Riley, we wanted to know more about his parents. I mean, what happened? Would you mind telling us more about Sarah and Robert Anderson?"

Sarah nodded as she looked around her living room with a sad smile. Scattered along the living room were pictures of her and someone who I guess was Sarah based on her warm smile and striking green eyes that was the exact same shade as Riley's.

"Well based on the pictures I have here, I don't want you guys to think I'm some kind of stalker," she cracked a small smile, not knowing that the biggest stalker in the world was sitting right in front of her.

Bella smiled at me from the corner of her mind and stifled her giggle, no doubt remembering all the times I "stalked" her when she was a human.

_C'mon, you gotta admit it, Cullen. You were quite the stalker…_

_Oh shut up!_

_What-the-fuck-ever. If you don't think watching a human girl sleep every night and smelling her strawberry shampoo until you probably got drunk of it isn't stalking, you've got some serious problems…_

Before my subconscious and I had the chance to argue, Bridgette thankfully continued.

"Sarah…Sarah," I could hear from her mind that it was still hard for her to accept the fact that her best friend was dead. "Sarah and I were best friends. We met when she and Robert were new in town. They just moved here from California so just from their attitudes, everyone in town knew that they weren't locals. So you know…it was courteous for neighbors and locals here to welcome new comers…so that's what I did."

I smiled a little as I heard the last part. It was true. Caroliners were really nice and very welcoming to their visitors. I couldn't count how many times random strangers waved at us or asked us how we were doing.

If we were in the busy streets of New York, I don't think we would even get one friendly "hello".

I heard that places down south were filled with people who were really nice and friendly.

Of course, I would never know because it is usually hot there so we couldn't visit there because we would sparkle like some lost disco balls.

From others experiences, I knew that the idea of "Southern Hospitality" is real.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that my lovely and affectionate wife was from the South. But of course, her mother does live in Florida…

"Anyways, that's how I met Robert and Sarah," Bridgette said, effectively bringing us back to focus. "I was bringing them some apple pie and saw that they needed help unpacking."

A fond smile graced her face as her mind went through a memory.

There was a young woman who was dressed in a loose skirt and a tank top who was busy unpacking boxes; beside her was a handsome young man smiling along with her as they worked side by side.

It was completely surreal to know that Sarah was my granddaughter. It was even more surreal to know that this woman in front of me had the pleasure to meet her.

Before she got lost in her thoughts, she explained further on. "I helped them unpack. We talked. We laughed. We shared stories. And suddenly, Sarah and I were best friends."

"But what about Robert?" I asked as I heard her talk all about Sarah, but not once about Robert and her being friends. "Were you guys friends?"

Immediately, her thoughts turned bitter as a memory of a man who had a full unshaven beard, and based on his glassy eyes, was obviously drunk. Then a small and shaking Riley took over her thoughts.

It didn't take a genius to know that she was bitter about the Robert who hurt and left Riley to fend for himself.

I didn't know how different Robert became after his wife's death, but based on the happy young man then, his life spiraled down for the worst.

"Robert…" she said the name slowly, as if taking the time to get used to saying it again. "He was well…your classic golden boy actually. He was very nice, caring towards his patients –he was a doctor at the hospital you guys just went to- and most importantly, loved his wife with everything he had."

Like every explanation, a memory from what seemed like a lifetime ago, went through her mind. This time, the bitterness from the present was gone, only admiration and happiness remained.

There was a young Robert who had a huge smile on his face holding a dozen set of flowers for his wife as he surprised her at work, Bridgette watching everything, happy for her best friend.

Seeing how Bridgette was present here, and everything was in her point of view, I wondered what her job was.

"What was Sarah's job? We heard she was a music teacher…but did she ever change occupations?"

"Oh, she worked as a high school music teacher since moving here. She took a leave when Riley was a newborn…and then never went back because of the…accident," she choked out.

"What about you, Bridgette? What did you do for a living? What do you _do_ for a living? I don't think that you could volunteer for the rest of your life at the shelter…" my wife said, effectively distracting Bridgette before she could get choked up again.

Thankfully, it worked as Bridgette looked back up at us and cleared her throat. "I still work at the same job I've had for years. Sarah and I became even greater friends when I realized that she worked at the same high school I taught – and still teach at," she smiled a watery smile. "See, I still teach Art while she taught Music."

Bella and I nodded, and I couldn't help but be thankful that there were still some nice teachers like her who truly cared for their students.

Bridgette then looked at a framed picture of Sarah and her with their arms linked together, beaming at the camera while posed in front of what looked like a camp site.

"You'd think that being a teacher would make Sarah poor, or at least a part of the middle class. But her husband was a well-known and well-loved doctor, so they never had trouble with money.

"What's even stranger is that Sarah acted like money didn't matter. She didn't judge people based on how heavy their wallets were," she smiled. "The first time I found out that she was married to a doctor, I expected her to be one of those stay at home wives who waited at home while their husbands were out at work, busy making money."

Bella smiled proud smile. Always the feminist. I couldn't help but be proud for my granddaughter as well. Knowing that her grandfather was a from the early 90s – an era where everyone and anyone thought women were inferior to men- it was a relief to know that she grew up to be an independent woman who didn't depend on a man to rule her life.

"Anyway, while teaching at the same school, it brought us even closer. It wasn't long before I got invited to their house for dinner," she said. "It was then that I officially met Robert. Not as the town doctor that everyone loved and admired, but at a more personal level."

A memory of a big dining table with home cooked meal flashed through her mind. Sarah was there dressed in a casual sun dress while her husband was in some t-shirt and jeans.

Again, the memory was in Bridgette's point of view. From her standpoint, I saw what she saw. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Robert and Sarah truly loved each other.

Although Robert was more on the quiet side, his wife's outgoing personality complimented his more subdued one without her personality overpowering his. It was more like her outgoing persona brought out _his_ loud side.

The love they radiated almost made me want to build a time machine to correct every mistake from their past. It was hard to imagine that a love like theirs would soon be broken all because of one car accident.

Bella squeezed my hand discreetly, bringing back my attention to Bridgette who continued her story.

"Right now, I honestly can tell you that I still consider Robert as one of my closest friends. A year and a half ago, I know that I wouldn't have been able to do that. I would've been lying."

Even without reading her mind, somehow, I knew that she meant it. This woman in front of us was Sarah's best friend who must've taken care and loved Riley as her own so it wasn't a surprise why she held a grudge against Robert.

Putting myself in her shoes, I knew that I would be bitter towards the person who ruined everything, who sent my best friend's only son to a group center when he could be at his own home being loved by his own dad.

It doesn't matter whether his wife died; Robert should've manned up and took care of his child. It wasn't only about him and Sarah anymore, he had a child to take care of.

Based on how her life changed –how she left her work to take care of her son- I had a feeling that Sarah grasped that concept more than her husband.

_Oh don't go blaming him, Cullen. Have you forgotten you were planning to kill yourself when you thought that you changed Bella too late? What would've happened to Nessie? If you didn't end up killing yourself, would you end up hurting her and blaming her for Bella's death?_

Immediately, guilt so powerful hit me that I nearly doubled in pain. I glanced at my beautiful angel who was humming quietly to herself and wondered how I even imagined her to be any less than what she was now.

She felt me looking at her and she looked up and flashed me her smile…the smile that was capable of melting my frozen heart.

That smile was everything beautiful about Bella and I. It was slightly crooked, she took that after me. Strangely, it didn't look weird on her; it suited her rosy lips perfectly.

But there was a sense of warmth in it, something that she got from her lovely mother. No matter how small or big their smiles were, my wife's and daughter's had the ability to calm and put a smile on _my_ face.

Looking at her smile, I decided to let go of the guilt. Now was not the time to lose my focus.

"But why didn't Robert take care of Riley? Or at least _try_ to take care of him instead of drinking his problems away? Didn't he love his son?" my wife asked making both Bridgette and I look at her.

Bridgette shook her head sadly. "I know it's hard to believe because Robert was a doctor and a good one at that. But somehow, when it came to taking care of his child, he was absolutely clueless," she looked out of the window. "In his own way, Robert did love Riley. He just didn't know how to show it properly.

"He worked countless of hours at the hospital so he could buy his son and wife anything and everything they needed and wanted. That was his own way of showing his love for Riley, buying him the newest toys. Yes, he was somewhat of a good parent because Riley was never left wanting. But what he failed to realize is that money and wealth could only get him so far. Riley and Sarah needed more from him, things that money couldn't buy."

No one talked, letting what she said truly sink in. In some way, it did make sense. I've heard of it from other people's minds. Some parents worked and worked without even knowing that their children just wanted to spend time with them. But when they finally realized it, their children were all grown up and didn't want to hang out with their parents.

It was sad, but it is what it is.

"After Sarah's death, did Robert even _try_ to take care of Riley? To get to know his own child at least?"

Bridgette shook her head at my wife. "No, I don't think he could even if he wanted to. I know that during the years, Robert and Sarah still loved each other so her death was really hard for him.

"And seeing Riley who looks so much like Robert but had Sarah's eyes hurt him the most. I knew that for every missed birthday or special occasion, Robert regretted not spending enough time with Riley. But what could he do?

"Riley looked content and happy with him working and Sarah taking care of him. Robert thought that his son had everything he needed and wanted. And I know that he had no idea how to even start repairing his relationship with his son. So he just gave up."

"What? So that's it?! He didn't want to repair his relationship with his three year old son so he just 'gave up'? What was it really? He _couldn't_ repair the relationship or he _wouldn't?"_ my wife exclaimed.

I rubbed my thumb against the back of her hand, trying to calm her.

"I know how bad it sounds. Trust me; I had the same reaction a year ago. It's hard to understand Robert's motives especially when he had a little child to take care of, but it's simple: he just couldn't do it without Sarah," Bridgette said. "It sounds terrible and completely irresponsible but it is what it is."

While my wife was muttering things under her breath, I stayed silent knowing that I couldn't exactly disagree with what Bridgette said.

I knew what it felt like to know that your wife/loved one was dying or on the verge death all because of someone you didn't even love. At least for me, when I was thinking about killing Renesmee, it was because I didn't love her _yet._

I experienced firsthand the desperation and hopelessness knowing that Bella was on the verge of death because of a monster.

Later did I realize that our Nessie was no monster but an angel instead.

I kissed Bella's temple as I asked a different question before she started beating Robert's gravestone…wherever that was.

The last thought made me add another thing to our ever-growing checklists of things to do before we went back home. We needed to visit his and my granddaughter's graves.

The very first thing in that list was to adopt Riley and bring him home with us and make Bridgette as the head mancager instead.

Bella wanted to first come back to the group shelter so she could see what the children still needed.

Whether it's food, new furniture, or a new manager, my wife and I were going to do everything to help.

But based on how my beautiful wife was muttering some ingredients on the way here, I knew that she was going to cook a feast fit for kings for dinner tonight.

As for what else she wanted to do, I'm sure she'll surprise me…like she always does.

"Anyway, we read on the paper that a neighbor reported Robert hurting Riley, which was the reason why Riley's in the group shelter. Could you tell us more about that?"

Unexpectedly, a guilty look came over Bridgette's face.

"Actually, that neighbor was me…" she said slowly as if waiting for us to yell at her or blame her.

Because she was too busy internally cursing and blaming herself, I had no idea what she meant.

Neither did Bella. "What do you mean 'you were the neighbor'?" she quoted, her eyes widening as she finally put two and two together. "Are you saying that _you're_ the one that sent Riley to the group home?"

Bridgette closed her eyes as if she was pled guilty at a trial. "Yes, it was me. And I've never hated myself more when I reported his situation to the police. To this day, I still hate myself for everything Riley is going through right now."

My mouth hung open, not expecting that she was the one who put Riley in the group home. Okay maybe it wasn't _technically_ her who sent him there, but she was the one who reported Robert abusing Riley.

Thankfully, my wife's voice was working so she could ask questions. "What? How could you do that, Bridgette?" she groaned frustratedly. "You were Sarah's best friend? Did you know that the group home was a terrible place for a young child?"

"Yes, I _am_ Sarah's best friend and Riley's godmother but what could I do?" she said defensively. "Yes, it was my fault because I admit, not once have I ever even visited Ms. Bertha's group home. So how was I supposed to know that it's a terrible place for Riley? You think that I don't regret my decision every day? You think I _enjoy _seeing him sad or unhappy? You don't think that I've ever tried to get him out of there? To get them _all_ out of there?" she asked, her voice rising hysterically as the smell of her salty tears started wafting through the air.

My wife's head snapped up from her left hand where she left it there as she listened to Bridgette.

Seeing the normally strong woman on the verge of a breakdown in front of us, Bella let go of my hand and sat on the arm of Bridgette's chair.

My lovely wife pulled Bridgette close and just rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"Shhh…it's okay, Bridgette. I'm sorry I didn't mean it to come out as if I was blaming you. My filter usually disappears when I'm frustrated," Bella said apologetically.

Bridgette sniffled as she wiped her tears away. "No, you were right. It is my fault that Riley's over there suffering," she hiccupped as another round of tears overcame her.

Bella looked at me helplessly as Bridgette sobbed on her shirt.

Honestly, I didn't know what to do. Yes, I could read minds but that's about it. I internally cursed myself for not thinking of bringing Jasper with us. _He_ could've calmed her right now.

Not knowing what do because I've only ever had experienced consoling the tears of a total of four women – my wife, Esme, Alice, and Nessie – in a span of a century, I crouched down in front of Bridgette.

I rubbed her other arm and whispered what I hope were consoling words. "It is _not_ your fault, Bridgette. Bella's right; no one is blaming you. How can you sit there and think that whatever Riley is going through is your fault? You, who volunteers what little time and money you have at the group home."

Thankfully, her cries quieted. I breathed a sigh of relief. Now I knew how Charlie felt like. Who cared about guns and knives? Women's tears were more dangerous.

Sensing that Bridgette was more than a little embarrassed at crying in front of two "people who were so calm and collected", I dragged my wife back to our small sofa.

I wrapped my arm around her waist to hold her to me. I knew that Bridgette was trying to be strong in front of us, and my wife running to her and consoling her wouldn't bode well with Bridgette's pride.

If I – and most men – would run for the hills at the first sign of tears, my wife – and most women – would do the exact opposite. They'd all hug and console whoever was crying and try to cheer them up…Men? Not so much…

Bridgette cleared her throat as she regained her composure. "I'm sorry for that. You guys shouldn't have seen that. It's just that…well, I've been waiting for years to say all of this," she said apologetically.

I nodded while my wife waved off her apology. "Nothing to worry about, Bridgette. A good cry or two is always healthy for everyone."

Bridgette just nodded as a faint blush appeared on her face. Apparently, she had trouble relying on anyone to make her feel better.

She cleared her throat again as she continued explaining. "As I was saying, it was me who turned Robert in. I went over to their house a couple of times – I didn't want them to feel like I was intruding – because I wanted to give them some space and time alone to grieve.

"I remembered that I visited only twice after Sarah's death and that was about it. The first time I went there, everything seemed normal. Robert and Riley were watching T.V. quietly. I brought some chicken noodle soup – Riley's favorite – and some apple pie. I gave it to Riley and he immediately stuffed himself. Stupidly, I chalked it to finally eating a home-cooked meal – Sarah was the only one who knew how to cook – I thought although Robert couldn't cook, I assumed that he would've _at least_ bought take out…" she trailed off as she looked away from us, still expecting us to blame her.

"So if he didn't order take out or cooked, what did Riley eat?" Bella asked gently.

Bridgette looked back at us and smiled sadly. "Anything and nothing. My first visit there, it was in the night so it wasn't that long before he fell asleep. It was during my second – and final – visit that I finally pieced everything together. Of course, when that happened, it was too late.

"When I visited the second time, I didn't call that time around. When I stopped by their house the first time, I called and alerted Robert that I was going to visit them. Maybe that's why he had time to prepare and make it seem as if he wasn't hurting Riley…stupid Bridgette," she muttered the last part to herself.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my wife bite down on her delectable lower lip. "The things that you found during your second visit…were they that bad?" she whispered, as if already knowing the answer but wanted to hear it from Bridgette anyway.

Bridgette nodded and breathed slowly as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

"The second time I went there, I was just supposed to check up on Riley. What I saw there…it was completely unexpected and terrible," she whispered as her eyes took on a faraway look.

The tears that she tried to stop were now freely streaming down her face as she remembered her second visit.

I knew based on how distraught she was, it wasn't good. What could've she seen that broke even such a strong person like her?

As much as I didn't want to intrude on her thoughts, I was transported back in time, her memory. Bridgette's cozy living room was transformed into a dark bedroom with all of its curtains drawn, absolutely no light or sunshine. On the huge messy bed, there was a small boy who was crying. Based on his slightly unruly brown hair, I knew it was none other than Riley.

…

_Hurry up, Bridgette. Check on Riley quickly and then dash back to the school. You don't have the luxury to lose your only job…_

_I rode my car back to Sarah and Robert's house. As I looked at the now uneven and untrimmed lawn, I missed my best friend even more._

_Even though she lived around the richer and bigger houses, Sarah was anything but snobby._

_Unlike many wealthy people, she didn't hire a maid or a cook. She took care of little Riley all by herself and did everything around the house._

_Meeting her was one of the best things that happened to me. No matter what, she was always there for me._

_And although she was dead now – the lump that I always got whenever I thought about her death formed in my throat – it didn't mean that I would automatically forget everything that she did and told me._

_If Sarah, Robert, and Riley appeared to be the classic happy family, it meant they fooled everyone. I was the only one who knew better because Sarah told me everything._

_I lost track of however many times she would come crying to me with little Riley in her arms while Robert was in the hospital again working._

_There were times when Sarah would stop by my house and just stay there until it was time for Robert's arrival, just seeking someone else's presence._

_I knew how lonely my friend felt. And there were even times where I thought she was going to divorce Robert, but I knew that she still loved him, no matter how many times he wasn't there._

_I saw how heartbroken Sarah was over Robert's lack of presence, although how much she tried to hide it._

_I saw how tired she felt because she was practically raising Riley all by herself. Although I wasn't related to Riley, I loved him unconditionally as if he were my own._

_Even though I was just the godmother, I fell in love with little Riley more and more._

_That's why when the only person who took care of him died, I knew that he would feel lost and heartbroken._

_Although Sarah's already dead, that didn't mean that I would stop loving Riley…_

_Which leads me to why I was coming over to their house to visit. I looked at the empty passenger seat and immediately felt guilty that I forgot to bring something for them to eat._

_**I'm sure Robert ordered take out or something,**__ I attempted to soothe myself._

_It wasn't until much later that I realized how wrong I was._

_I walked up to their driveway and rang the doorbell of their house that was a little too big for only three people. Sarah complained about that as well._

_After a couple of minutes of just standing there, I put my ear against the door and listened in. At first, I heard nothing…but then someone cries registered in my mind._

_I turned the doorknob. Locked. I expected as much so I dug in my purse for the extra set of keys Sarah gave me in case of emergencies._

_I didn't know if this was an emergency or if I was just being paranoid, but I had a bad feeling brewing in my stomach._

_After inserting the key and unlocking the door, I followed the sound of someone crying. On the way there, I couldn't help by see how cluttered everything was._

_On the living room, the sofa pillows were all over the place, empty cartons of pizza lying out on the normally empty coffee table, dark splotches staining the beige rug that Sarah loved so much. But what alerted me that something was totally amiss were the empty beer bottles next to the pizza boxes._

_I walked faster until the sound of someone crying became louder. I looked up and saw Sarah and Robert's bedroom door staring at me._

_I put my ear against the thin door and listened in. When I realized that it just wasn't just anyone who crying – it was Riley – I hastily opened the door and my heart broke as I saw what awaited me._

_On the bedside drawer, there were more bottles of beer and some pills. I squinted my eyes to see it clearer; based on their labels, I found out that they were sleeping pills._

_I looked around and saw Robert lying in his and Sarah's huge bed with the covers partially covering him, the pillows scattered all over the bed._

_He looked like he was sleeping, but as I waited for his chest t lift lightly to at least indicate that he was breathing, I was met by nothing._

_And finally, I saw Riley. He was in the same pajamas that he had on when I visited him last, his hair rumpled, and tears flowing down his tiny cheeks._

_I rushed over to him and pulled him in my arms._

"_Riley, baby, what happened?" I asked the shaking boy._

_He shook his head at me as he broke out of my arms to hug his dad again. He continued to shake him as he placed a tiny hand on his dad's unshaven face._

"_Daddy…daddy…please. Wake up! You're all I hab left! You and mommy promised that you wouldn't leave me…please…" he begged in between sobs._

_Robert didn't even budge or said anything. I knew he was dead. Unfortunately, Riley didn't share the same sentiment._

_When I tried to pull him back, he just wriggled free and clutched his dad tighter. He buried his face in Robert's neck._

_As I looked at the tiny boy who was sobbing in his father's neck, I reached the phone with a shaky hand._

_I dialed 911. My ears were ringing and I barely registered the fact that I told them to come here. I hung up after I whispered the address and just pulled Riley to my chest._

_Thankfully, the little boy didn't fight. It was barely a minute later before I heard the sirens of the cops. _

_I heard them come in to the still open front door and dash upstairs. They opened the door and I was immediately carried off the bed._

_I felt someone's arms around me but I couldn't do anything but just grip Riley closer to myself._

_We were seated at the sofa across Sarah and Robert's bed with a thick blanket wrapped around us. I ran my hand through Riley's soft hair while attempting to soothe him._

_I could feel his hot tears soaking my newly pressed shirt. I looked down at my formal attire and immediately patted my pockets for my phone._

_I let out a quiet curse as my pockets came up empty. I looked at the floor near the door and saw my purse that I must've dropped in the middle of looking for Riley._

_As I shifted to stand up, Riley clung on to me tighter while whimpering silently._

_I stroked his tear stained cheek silently. "Riley, baby, I'm just going to get my phone. I'll be quick oka-"_

_Before I even had the chance to finish, he started shaking harder, more tears streaming down his cheeks. "No. Please don't leave me…I don't want to be alone."_

_I nodded my head and just stroked his back. This tiny kid on my lap just went through something so horrible and I didn't have the heart to even let go of him for a second._

_I looked around and my eyes met with a set of kind ones that I knew belonged to our old sheriff, Jerry. _

_I asked him to get my phone out of my bag, looking down discreetly at Riley who was on my lap when he looked at me confusedly._

_Immediately, his face softened as he gazed down at the small little boy who was clutching my shirt with both of his tiny hands._

_I called the school and told them that I was calling in sick. Thankfully, they didn't give me a hard time about such a late notice because they knew how hard I still struggled to accept the fact that my only best friend died._

_I could hear the paramedics talking silently about Robert. I suddenly felt Riley unclench his hands and slowly let go of my shirt. I looked down at him and saw that his eyes were getting a little droopy._

_I kissed his forehead and silently hummed a lullaby for him. This little boy went through so much in so little time that it wasn't a surprise he was tired._

_I looked up and saw a police man and a middle aged lady walking towards us. I tightened my arms around the sleeping boy._

_They stopped in front of me. The police looked unfamiliar to me. He had dark brown hair that was graying at the ends, a mustache on his upper lip that was so thick it made me wonder how he ever ate anything without getting his food stuck there, and a grimace on his otherwise handsome face._

"_Ma'am, are you related to Mr. Robert Anderson or his son Riley Anderson?" the policeman asked in a gruff voice._

_I shook my head as I cleared my throat, talking for the first time after what felt like a lifetime ago. "In a way. His wife, Sarah Anderson, is my best friend. I'm Riley's godmother."_

_The policeman just nodded while scribbling something down on his small notepad._

_He looked up at me again. "Well since you are a relative of the Andersons, you have the right to know about what happened to Mr. Robert," he said. "We can't do much but the guys back at the hospital are getting ready to run an autopsy on him. But based on what we found lying around this room, we're guessing that he had an overdose from the medicine and his alcohol," he explained, grimacing again as he inhaled the stench of beer in the room._

_I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. My good friend Robert, my best friend's husband, was now dead. Finally, reality was catching up to me. The once happy and kind man I knew was dead because of drinking too much beer and taking too many pills._

_I looked down at the sleeping boy in my arms and my heart broke all over again. I needed to stay calm and strong for Riley._

_Oh God, what was going to happen to him now that both of his parents are dead?_

_Before I could answer that question, the middle age lady cleared her throat._

_The policeman looked up from his notepad and looked at her as if just remembering that she was there. As she was about to open her mouth to speak, Jerry walked away while shooting me an apologetic smile and gazing at Riley with a sad smile._

_What was that about?_

_It was much later did I realize that I would end up making things worse. That everything would be all my fault._

"All my fault. All my fault. All my fault," Bridgette chanted.

If Bella hadn't squeezed my hand, I wouldn't have even known the difference between Bridgette's very vivid memories versus what she was doing now.

Both mentally and physically, she was chanting that it was all of her fault.

"Oh Bridgette, it's not your fault," Bella murmured before rushing once more to Bridgette's side and hugging her again.

She didn't fight nor pretended to be strong, she just cried at my wife's shoulders, still mentally berating herself.

Bella just let her cry, occasionally rubbing her back soothingly. After a couple of minutes, she finally regained her composure.

Without being told, Bella rushed back to my side, sensing the Bridgette yet again failed to "seem strong to us".

Bridgette apologized again, and Bella just waved it off once more.

She looked out the window. From her thoughts, I knew that she didn't know how to explain things.

Bridgette looked back at us. "I don't really know how to explain everything that happened that day. All I know is that it all happened so fast. One minute I was consoling a crying Riley and then the next minute, he was taken away from me by Child Care Services."

Bella let out a loud gasp. I tried to pretend to be surprised; but one look at the woman from her memory, I knew that the chances of Riley getting taken away by Child Care Services were great.

"What? He was taken away from you? But you're his godmother…" Bella said weakly, her voice shaking as she shook her head in denial.

Bridgette looked away at us again, the salty smell of tears drifting through the air. "I guess that's where my blame comes in," she said and then inhaled deeply. "It's my fault really. After Sarah's death, everyone was sad because she died."

Bella and I nodded, not knowing what to make of her cryptic explanations.

"When I said that I didn't blame Robert for taking his wife's death to a whole new level, I truly meant that. The reason why I was able to sympathize with him was because I did the same thing," she said and then hung her head in shame.

Not knowing what she meant, I asked her, "What do you mean 'you did the same thing'? Did you drink your problems away like Robert?"

She looked up at me and hastily explained. "No! Of course not. But I did something that made things infinitely worse. What I did cost Riley everything."

"What do you mean?" my wife asked, getting a little impatient.

Bridgette inhaled deeply. "When I told you that Sarah was my best friend, that was a huge a understatement. She was much more than that; she was like the sister I never had," she then looked down at the picture frame that sat on her lap. "When she died, I literally felt lost. Every time I had a problem or something I needed to get out of my chest, Sarah was always there to listen and support me.

"And then suddenly, because of one stupid car accident, my best friend – sister – was gone. When the police told me the news, I didn't believe it," she smiled a little. "Sarah was always a careful driver. Growing up in a busy city taught her to be more careful on the road. I knew that if Sarah was going to get in any kind of accident that could kill her, it wouldn't be a _car_ accident.

"After the police told me everything, I refused to accept the truth. It wasn't until I went to Sarah's memorial that everything finally seeped in, reality finally caught up to me. My best friend was gone and I was never going to see her again.

"Honestly, everything after my realization was a blur. All I know is that I just stopped…functioning," she said, struggling to find the right word. "I was the only child and both of my parents died at a car accident in my early twenties, so I had no one left to lean on to.

"I stopped eating; I just couldn't do it knowing that I was never going to have another dinner with Sarah and Riley over at my house. Whenever Robert worked especially late hours at the hospital, Sarah used to take Riley over here to have a small dinner together," she explained to us.

She glanced at the small dining table that sat near the kitchen. From her fond and sad smile, I knew that that was where they had their "small dinners".

"And then it just got worse. I stopped going to work because as you all know, Sarah and I worked at the same high school. When she was in the accident, she was on leave because she was staying home until Riley goes to Pre-school.

"Her music room was next to the staff lounge and every time I went to work and ate lunch there, I would always see her room. Where she was always the happiest, besides spending time with Riley and Robert of course," she choked back a sob. "Her music room was where she was always happy. I knew that she didn't really want to be a music teach but a music composer instead, but she was content and happy with her job.

"She always showed up at the school with a smile on her face, excited to teach her students something. Usually high school students are rebellious and never listens to their teachers, but not when it came to Sarah," she smiled. "They loved her. They never once raised their voices at her or disrespected her. And Sarah did the same. She gave her students the respect and credit they deserved.

"Eating at work and not being able to stop myself from seeing and visiting her classroom made me stop going to work as well. I holed myself up at home, not showing up at work or around town.

"It was during those days that they took Riley," she whispered, making even Bella and I strain our ears to make sure we heard her correctly.

Seeing our dumbstruck faces, she explained. "See, when I was going through my tough time – let's call it my 'dark days' – everyone's opinion of me started changing, rumors started circling this town," she scowled lightly. "This town is lovely and all but it is too small for its own good. Any new news and everyone will go abuzz with excitement. Nothing ever happens in this town.

"When I stopped going to work and just roaming around town, they all thought that I was slowly going crazy. I admit, even _I _felt like I was going crazy. Sometimes when I ran out to do a small errand, I would hear or see something that reminded me of Sarah.

"When they were new here, I toured them around, showed them everywhere. So, practically everything in this town reminded – and still reminds - me of her.

"With all the rumors circling around me being slightly lunatic after 'my only friend's death', everyone started walking on eggshells with me. I still hadn't shown up to work when everything got infinitely worse.

"I was planning to go to the grocery store when I saw the music store. It was right next to the grocery store so I couldn't help but stop by. Sarah used to always visit there, she loved it. She was waiting for this CD that was full of Mozart's original compositions but she never found it. She stopped by there every week, hoping that it would finally go in stock," she said sadly.

"I was just rummaging through the aisles when I finally saw it: the CD that Sarah was looking for," she swallowed heavily. "Seeing that cover made everything come back. All the times that Sarah would always complain to me about it never being there, the times when she would be so excited every time she found something she liked.

"Without even knowing, I started crying, grieving all over again for my lost best friend. Just when I thought that I was finally healing, I was back to square one.

"Unbeknownst to me, the principal of the school I was working at chose that same exact day and time to go to the shop I was in. It was fairly empty and the CD section was hidden by the instrument shelves, but I guess she heard my cries.

"And that was it. That was all it took to lose Riley permanently."

Bella and I stared at her, mouths agape. "What do you mean 'that was all it took to lose Riley'? Just because the principal found you crying, you lost Riley? How? What?" my wife asked, her forehead creased in confusion.

Bridgette just nodded her head sadly. "Apparently, the principal were one of the many people who listened and believed every rumor they heard," she said bitterly. "She had no idea of the significance of the CD to me, not knowing that it reminded me of my dead best friend.

"It turns out that seeing me 'randomly burst into tears' solidified her belief that I was a lunatic – or on the way to being one.

"The week after that, I found out that I was in danger of getting fired. Apparently, they didn't want a crazy and overly emotional teacher around students who were also grieving over the death of their beloved music teacher.

"Hell, I _knew_ I was practically fired. If it weren't for the other staff members who supported me, Judy – the principal – would've fired me. But looking back at what happened to me weeks after my crying episode, I was as good as fired.

"My hours were cut short. Judy gave me this lame excuse about having more electives than art. Before I knew it, my already meager salary was cut even lower.

"As luck would have it, it was when I was still struggling with financial issues that Robert's death happened. Everyone around town knew that Sarah and I were best friends. Unfortunately, they also knew that I was having more than a little trouble with accepting that," she said. "That's the main reason why Riley is in the orphanage now instead of being here with me."

Having sensed what was the reason why Riley was in the group home, I still had to ask. "So what you're basically telling us is that Riley is in that poor excuse of an orphanage all because you didn't have the money to take care of his needs?"

She turned away from us, a faint blush appearing on the apples of her cheeks. "Yes, that's the ultimate reason. A Child Care Services member talked to me after I arrived at Sarah and Robert's house and found him dead," she scowled. "Unfortunately, she was a friend of Judy's. Before she even had the chance to actually ask me and get to know me, she already had an opinion of me.

"Not to mention the fact that just having my best friend die and then my other close friend die not much later didn't make things easier. I still don't remember everything that happened that day," her forehead creased. "All I know is that I let it slip that I just finally got my full job back.

"You see, days before Robert's death, I was slowly improving. It took only a couple of days later that I finally started teaching full time again, instead of only teaching Art part time.

"The Child Care Services lady – I think her name was Hannah – interviewed me about my salary, income, and what I did for a living. Being a teacher, you don't get paid much. But being a teacher that just nearly got laid off and was just living on a salary for working part time, I wasn't doing so well economically," she mumbled, the blood rushing to her cheeks once more.

I knew from her thoughts that she was embarrassed to be admitting this to us, knowing that based on our appearances, we were quite rich.

Bella smiled a sympathetic smile at the blushing woman in front of us. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. My mom was and still is a substitute teacher at a small school; so if anyone knows how hard it is to be a teacher, that would be me," Bridgette looked at her, relieved at finding out that we weren't snobs when it came to money. "Low income or not, at least teaching is an honest job. I'd rather have no money in my pocket than be filthy rich doing a job that isn't honest or appropriate."

Bridgette just smiled a small smile, but I could hear from her thoughts that she truly admired my wife who reminded her of her dead best friend.

After a few silent moments I decided to ask, "So Judy's friend was the one who decided that you weren't fit to take care of Riley?"

Bridgette nodded sadly. "She was. It was no secret that I struggled after Sarah's death, so no one was really surprised when they deemed me to be unfit to take care of a small child.

"I didn't have a lot of money saved up, my house small and too cluttered to have a small child roaming around. Deep down, even _I_ knew that I wouldn't have survived it if I took on the responsibility of taking in Riley."

Bella and I just nodded quietly. I knew well enough to shut up at times like these.

"So is that why you volunteered at the shelter?" my wife asked tentatively. "Because you weren't given the chance to have full parental rights to Riley?"

Bridgette met our eyes and smiled sadly. "Honestly, he was the reason at first. But then I started volunteering over there and I fell in love with _all_ of the children," she said, a fond smile taking over her face. "The more time I spent there, the more I fell in love with all of the kids.

"Volunteering while working as a teacher and creating lesson plans outside of school was definitely a challenge. But once I saw how they were treated at the shelter – how the shelter was run by Ms. Bertha – I knew that they needed all the help they could get.

"From the day that Riley was put in the orphanage, I spent all of my free time there. Every time I had time to spare outside of my job, I would go down there and try to help out."

As she finished, memories of her time there crossed her mind. All the times, she cooked for the kids, played with them, and even all of the times she protected them against Bertha's wrath.

Without even truly knowing this woman in front of us, my admiration for her grew. I glanced at my beautiful wife and based on her awe struck expression, I knew she was sharing the same sentiments.

This woman who barely had enough time and money to spare gave everything she could to an orphanage that was run by a greedy old lady.

Knowing how hard a teacher's job was, I don't think that that Bertha lady even knows how lucky she was that someone as kind as Bridgette would be willing to volunteer at the shelter.

"So what exactly do you do there when you volunteer? The last we saw you, you were cooking for the kids. So are you like the official chef of the orphanage?" Bella asked.

Bridgette let out a small laugh. "Oh goodness, no! Since I have such a busy schedule, I can't really be their full time chef. Jen is the other chef for when I'm busy," she said. "She's actually a friend of mine at a small community college around town. She teaches night classes so she's available to cook for the kids in the morning and afternoon when I'm at work."

Judging on how things were going, I was seriously considering on donating a hefty amount of money to teachers. They certainly cared about their community and the orphanage.

My wife smiled. "That's amazing. _You guys_ are amazing. How you manage to volunteer at the orphanage while having a stressful job, I'll never know."

Bridgette smiled in appreciation while blushing a little.

As my wife looked at Nessie, who was _still_ coloring her drawings – how she was still entertained for over an hour at coloring pictures, I would never know – I decided to ask Bridgette a question.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but since you and your friend, Jen, are the chefs, do you guys come up with what the kids eat?" I asked slowly, not wanting to offend her. "Because I couldn't help but see what they were eating and it looked pretty…unappetizing. Don't get me wrong. It's amazing what you guys do, really. But are you ladies just the cooks or do you pick out the menu as well?" I corrected myself hastily.

After checking up on our angel, my wife scooted back to my side, the all too familiar electricity buzzing the small space between us.

Instead of replying at once, Bridgette just laughed at my flustered state. "Well, sort of. We are the cooks but we sometimes get to pick what the children eat," she said, her smile turning into a frown.

"Could you explain that to us?" my wife asked, her own forehead creased as well.

"Jen and I do cook and we occasionally pick out what the children are going to eat…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

Bella's eye brows furrowed deeper. "What do you mean you 'get to pick out what they eat occasionally'? Shouldn't you guys be able to choose the menu every day? Isn't that what a chef's job is?"

Bridgette shook her head sadly. "Not in our orphanage, no. Ms. Bertha gets the final say in everything. She chooses what the children eat every day," she admitted sadly. "The only time she doesn't get to decide what to feed the children is when-"

Before she could finish her sentence, my lovely wife interrupted her. "Thank God almighty! Finally! Something that that old lady doesn't get to decide. So the only time she doesn't get to decide to feed the kids is when…" she trailed off happily, nodding her gorgeous head excitedly to motion Bridgette to continue.

Surprisingly, Bridgette didn't smile but mumbled her answer with a grimace. "Sorry to break your happy bubble, but the only time that Ms. Bertha doesn't get to pick out the kid's food is when she has no choice."

My wife and I's faces were both staring blankly at her in confusion.

"Sometimes, when we have absolutely _no food_ in the pantry, no frozen meals to microwave, or anything, we're just forced to literally dig everywhere and anywhere for the children to eat," she said sadly as memories of children's food that looked more like disgusting dog food flashed through her mind. "Times like those, Ms. Bertha doesn't really have a choice but to let us cook anything we find."

I read everything in her mind before she had the chance to say it to us, but my mouth still hung open at the thought that all of those children at the shelter ate food that wasn't even suited for animals.

Thankfully, my wife was able to pull herself together. "But…but I thought you guys received donations?" she asked.

Bridgette nodded hesitantly. "Yes, we do. But Ms. Bertha _keeps track of them_ she says she _guides _the money," she answered bitterly. "But if you ask me, I know she spends it for personal uses," she gave a sideways glance, as if expecting to see Bertha listening on in our conversation. "She always goes to casinos up in the city almost twice a month. Since she's the oldest worker at the orphanage and has been a resident in this town for as long as anyone could remember, she's the only one who gets paid for helping out in the shelter.

"And even if she is getting paid, I know that she wouldn't have enough spare money to spend it on gambling and poker. Personally, I think that all of the money she's spending there isn't completely hers…if you know what I mean," she gave us a pointed look.

I looked at Bella as she made a small sound in response to Bridgette's statement. "What?! How can she do that knowing that there are children relying on those donations? Instead, she chooses to spend it _gambling_ _in casinos_? That's _disgusting_," she said, her beautiful heart shaped face scrunching up in disdain.

Bridgette nodded empathically. I knew from her thoughts that she was happy to have my "feisty wife here to fight for the orphanage and to finally get rid of that old hag".

Her words, not mine.

After calming down, Bella turned her head away from me ever so slightly, her tell-tale sign of her embarrassment.

I knew that had she still been human, she would've been brick red by now from her outburst.

I tucked some of her hair that she tried to use as a curtain against me and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bridgette looked away from us casually as she tried to give us privacy.

I pulled back after stroking my wife's cheek gently, deciding to hold off on the light PDA in front of Bridgette to not make her uncomfortable.

Bella straightened up and asked another question, her "overprotective mama-bear" side coming out. "This…issue, how long has it been going on?"

"What issue? The fact that the children never have any decent meals? Or how Ms. Bertha is taking all of our donation money for herself?" she deadpanned.

I saw my wife wince ever so slightly at how blunt Bridgette said things. I wrapped my arm tighter around her waist.

I knew that those two issues weren't the only things that needed to be changed and improved at the orphanage. How we were going to change that kind of environment, I don't know yet.

But once I saw the determined and fierce look on my wife's beautiful face, I knew that no matter how hard or easy changing the orphanage is going to be, we were going to do change it for the better.

"Both," Bella whispered.

Bridgette sighed as she looked out the window. "The minute that I found out that Riley was going to stay at the orphanage and not with me, I decided to pay the group home a visit. I admit, before Robert's death – before we had to decide where Riley was going to live after both his parents' deaths – I have never even _been_ to the orphanage," she said, a guilty smile over taking her face.

We smiled at her encouragingly as she continued. "Ever since moving here, I knew that I lived close by an orphanage…10 minutes away to be exact. But I never found a reason why I should visit there," she said. "Before I moved here in North Carolina, I taught a few years ago at Idaho – my hometown – and then I moved to California and taught at San Diego for a little bit."

She saw our confused expressions and let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry if this sounds irrelevant to you, but trust me it has something to do with why I never thought of visiting the orphanage before. Basically, what I'm trying to tell you is that I've been teaching ever since I got my teacher's credential," she explained. "Elementary School, Middle School, High School, I've experienced it all.

"I've been around kids for so long. Living here didn't change anything; I did what I did at every place I moved to: I taught at a school. All my life, it felt like I did nothing but teach students.

"I know it sounds like an excuse – a lame one at that - more than a reason why I avoided the orphanage, but that's all I've got," she then shrugged apologetically.

"But when you visited there for the first time, was it already as bad as it was?" I asked.

She let out another sigh as I heard her curse herself internally for reasons I didn't even know. "The fault is all mine…and partly Ms. Bertha," she replied cryptically.

One look at our confused faces and she explained further. "The first time I went there, I still had the option to be able to move Riley to another orphanage. The only other option was one that was very far away from here, somewhere in a busy city. When I visited the shelter, I thought it was okay…not great, but not too terrible. But of course, being the stupid person that I was, I learned later on how wrong I was to secure Riley's future there."

She looked at us. "Admit it, if the outside looked a little cleaner and the interior more modern, wouldn't you have thought it was an okay shelter for children to live in?"

Although everything in me wanted to yell out _No_, I really pondered about what she said. She was right. If I didn't have the ability to read minds or any of our super natural abilities, I wouldn't have thought that it was as bad as it was.

I wouldn't have overheard Bertha yelling and hurting the children and wouldn't have had the opportunity to read into everyone's minds and find out what they're really thinking.

I could see how a first timer would've been placated at the orphanage's – or more like _Bertha's_ – fake colors.

Once Bella and I nodded our heads, she smiled empathetically before continuing on.

"Exactly, Ms. Bertha fooled me as well. When I visited there the first time, she was nice to the kids and attended to their every needs," she said, disgust evident in her voice. "She was like a doting grandma to everyone.

"Like the stupid fucker that I was, I put my innocent god child in that hell hole and was none the wiser. I was working overtime at the school – I thought that if I earned more money, Riley could come home with me – and was more than stressed when I stopped by the orphanage."

Bella and I ignored her more than inappropriate language knowing that we were talking to a teacher.

"So we're guessing you found out that Bertha was stealing the shelter's donations soon after you dropped Riley off there?"

Bridgette nodded, too busy cursing like a sailor in her mind. "The minute I decided that I wanted to be a volunteer, I knew that I wanted to be a chef. I've always loved cooking and the orphanage's old chef quit. It took me a couple of weeks to find out why she quit."

"Weeks?" my wife asked.

"Yep, three weeks, in fact, for the food in the pantry and fridge to run out," Bridgette replied. "The first time I cooked, there were little to no fresh ingredients. I chalked it up to the fact that maybe the previous chef just didn't have enough time to shop for groceries," she said. "The orphanage was packed.

"But when the sparse food finally ran out, I knew the exact reason why the chef resigned. _I _had to shop for the shelter's produce myself. Yes, we had bills to pay but our town was loyal and frequently donated money to the shelter. It just didn't make sense how money was running out so fast," she said.

Bella's eyes widened. "Wait – _you_ had to buy food? _With your own money?_"

She nodded and then shrugged. "What was I supposed to do? Let the children starve because Ms. Bertha took their donations – that were supposed to be spent buying their food?"

My wife shook her head making me dizzy with its strawberry scent as she mumbled her answer. "I don't know…you could've told the mayor or something."

Bridgette looked away at the window again as she said sadly, "I did. I tried. But I always failed in the end. Like I said, Ms. Bertha's words were law. No one disagreed with her when it came to the orphanage because she's been the manager there ever since anyone could remember," she continued glumly. "And besides, if I told the mayor, he probably wouldn't have believed me. I didn't have enough proof besides my gut feeling that Ms. Bertha was stealing all of our funds.

"But more than that, I couldn't report her because no one else was willing to run the shelter. I was too busy with teaching, Jen was also busy with her work, and there was just no one who had enough time to devote themselves at the group home.

"So every time I see Ms. Bertha being cruel to someone, I just bite my tongue and ignored it. I've tried to stop her, I really did," she said desperately, as if she needed to convince us.

Bella and I were taken aback at the desperation in her voice and just nodded to not overwhelm her.

"So yes, Ms. Bertha has been stealing our funds ever since I could remember. The last time the children had a decent meal?" she asked almost to herself, thinking about her answer for a couple of seconds which was a bad sign.

I don't think that it was a good thing that she didn't know when the children at the shelter last had a decent meal.

She squinted her eyes in deep thought as her lips formed into a thin line. "I think…if my calculations are right, the last time they had a nice home cooked meal was last week…" her eyebrows formed a deep 'v'.

Beside me, my wife squeezed my hand tightly. Her eyebrows then rose up dangerously close to her hairline. "_Last week_?" she asked incredulously.

Bridgette nodded distractedly, lost in her memories. "Usually when Ms. Bertha takes our funding money, she leaves a little bit to placate us…well the others at the orphanage, I already had my doubts about her stealing for us," she mumbled. "She always leaves us a meager amount of money, saying that that was all we received for donations. She didn't want anyone suspecting that she was taking the majority of our funds.

"We're running a little low on the donations. As much as I want to spend every bit of our money on the children's food and groceries, we still have bills and payments to make," she said sadly, a memory of a small child asking for more food and then later getting rejected due to shortage of food and budget flashing through her mind.

My wife let out a quiet sob that was only audible to me and leaned into my side as she opened her mind to me.

_Oh, Edward, this is so sad…all those children! We have to do something!_

I nodded my head discreetly and kissed her all-too kissable temple. While Bridgette was sufficiently distracted looking out the window, I leaned down and whispered to my wife, "Don't worry, love, we will help them."

She kissed my cheek quickly before asking Bridgette another question. "This orphanage…how long has it been here? Since Bertha is corrupting the shelter, do you guys even have enough money to spare to repair everything that's…crappy there?" my wife asked quietly.

Bridgette let out a small laugh and shook her head gently. "I'm afraid not. The shelter has been there even before I moved here. Every year, our budget gets tighter and tighter that we don't really have any more money to spend on fixing the shelter itself," she said. "Anything other than urgent bills to be paid and groceries to be shopped, we don't really have any left over money to splurge on things outside of our utter most necessities."

My wife nodded sadly and asked, "So it's safe to say that all of your furniture and your kitchen equipments, they haven't been replaced for…a long time?"

Bridgette nodded, "Exactly. I think that the stove is older than my grandmother and the fridge, well…it's too small to be one of those modern ones that are huge and could hold everything without having our produces rot," she said longingly.

I knew that if anyone could help us change the shelter for the better, Bridgette's knowledge about everything that happens there would be our greatest asset.

How we were going to tell her that we were planning on making improvements on the orphanage, I don't know yet.

Thankfully, my wife was two steps ahead of me and took advantage of Bridgette's opening.

"Well isn't it still the childrens' nap time?" she asked, looking down at her watch. "Would you mind giving us a more _thorough_ tour of the orphanage? Bertha didn't _exactly _tour us around…" she asked sheepishly.

Bridgette let out a small gasp and glanced at the hanging clock across from her. "Oh my, it's actually a bit earlier than I thought. It seemed like we've been talking for _ages_," she said the last part almost to herself.

Once she saw that we were still listening to her, she hastily corrected herself. "Not that I haven't had fun talking to both of you. Your family being here has been like my first fresh breath of air in a very long time," she said quickly, the apples of her cheeks slightly red. "It's nice to know that you guys care about the orphanage. You guys have no idea how well you just made my day by giving me support and telling me what a good job I've been doing at the orphanage.

"I would love to show you guys around the shelter. It's not a surprise that Ms. Bertha didn't do so because…well the shelter's a mess and I know that she wouldn't have wanted you guys to see that as she _is_ the manager and in charge of the group home," she said, scowling a little bit at the mention of the old lady.

Bella and I shared a meaningful glance. I could see from my wife's eyes that she definitely had something planned so I just shut my mouth and prepared myself to play along.

"What exactly does she do besides steal your donation money and funds?" she asked tentatively.

If my wife was looking for an angry reaction from Bridgette, she definitely received it. The tips of her ears turned red in anger as her heart started beating faster.

Bridgette let out a humorless laugh. "She does everything and nothing at the same time," she said exasperatedly. "She bosses everyone around thinking that we're her servants and not her employees and co-workers, but then that's _all_ she does! Boss everyone around and be a tyrant. She's a boss not a leader," she scowled. "She changes the rules and criticizes the way I and the other volunteers there run the place when she's not even there most of the time because she's too busy gambling her ass off!"

She panted heavily for a minute and Bella and I looked at her with our mouths hanging open. Bella was right. It wouldn't take much to get her talking about what was truly happening at the shelter.

And if my brilliant wife was right – and she most likely is – getting Bridgette angry – as much as we don't want to anger her – will cause her to open up to us and tell us everything about the orphanage so we could actually help them.

I don't know why I even bothered to question my lovely wife's plan. She was right…Bridgette was our most important asset if we ever wanted to help the orphanage change for the better.

Bridgette sat on the seat, her heart slowly calming down its fast tempo. "I'm sorry for that," she apologized, although she didn't sound the least bit apologetically.

Bella and I waved off her apology and simultaneously said, "Don't worry about it."

Bridgette cracked a small smile and then looked out the window. "I hope you guys don't think that I have some kind of anger management problems or anything. It's just that…I'm so frustrated, not angry," she sighed. "I wasn't kidding when I said that I 'literally bite my tongue' when it comes to Ms. Bertha's actions at the orphanage.

"Every time she did something that I didn't approve of – like only hiring two tutors for only three days to teach the children – I didn't have a choice but to just go along with it," she said sadly. "One time when I suggested for us to spend more money on the kid's food so they could eat healthier and fresher produces, I was shot down immediately," she mumbled, her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly, "I was only a volunteer at the orphanage at that time but she threatened to fire me, telling me that if I interfered with her decisions again, I wouldn't be allowed to visit the kids – most importantly Riley anymore."

Bella tightened her grip on me and gasped, "What?! She said that? What a bitch."

Bridgette looked at her and smiled a little although didn't say anything.

We sat in silence for a little while when I decided to break it. "You said you 'were only a volunteer then', does that mean you are an employee at the orphanage now?"

"Sort of. I'm the night time and sometimes the afternoon chef on school breaks, but I don't get paid," she answered.

Bella, who was sitting quietly trying to calm down, came alive again as she heard Bridgette's answer. "Are you kidding me? Please for the love of God - if you don't want me to hit an old woman no matter how cruel she is - tell me that she is stealing you salary too!"

Although breathing was unnecessary for our kind, my wife was breathing heavily, something that she usually did after an angry outburst.

I've – and both Jasper and Emmett and only occasionally, Carlisle – already knew too well to not even try to cross her when she was like this.

I stroked her long mahogany hair and whispered in her ear, "Shh, love, calm down please."

She nodded gently as she buried her face against my chest, her small puffs of air tickling me through the thin cotton of my button up shirt.

Bridgette cleared her throat after staring at my wife with…gratitude in her eyes?

Both Bella and I looked at her as she said, "Wow, I know this is a totally inappropriate response to…that but _thank you_."

My beautiful wife's perfectly manicured eyebrows furrowed the same time mines did.

"Thank me? For what?" she asked Bridgette.

Bridgette shrugged her shoulders, a light pink bush appearing on her cheeks. "It's just…you have no idea how good it feels that you guys were so affected and…_enraged _at the idea of Ms. Bertha stealing my salary."

Well it looked like Nessie and Bella weren't the only two humans – well part human and a former human now – that had the ability to surprise me.

She's thanking us for standing up for her because that old lady was taking her salary from her? Was her hot cocoa spiked or something?

Apparently, Bella was thinking the same thing. She let out a sound that sounded between a snort and a small laugh…it was kind of disturbing how I found it adorable and attractive. Had it come from someone else, I would have found it unattractive, but with Bella, it was too cute and adorable.

"Why are you thanking me for? Even though Bertha is the manager, she has no right to take away any of her employee's salary," Bella said almost scoldingly.

For some reason, Bridgette's blush deepened slightly. "About that…actually, I think I didn't explain it to you guys: I don't get pai-"as Bella opened her mouth again, Bridgette hastily continued. "I don't get paid because _I don't want to_."

It would've been pretty comical how Bella's rosy lips formed a small 'o' and hung open if my jaw wasn't on the ground as well.

Seeing how my wife looked like she wasn't planning on picking up her pretty lips off the floor, I gathered my wits and asked Bridgette to repeat what she said…you know in case we heard her incorrectly.

After repeating what she said with a hint of amusement at how flustered Bella and I were, my wife finally pulled herself together.

"What? Why don't you want to get paid? " she asked confusedly, her eyebrows furrowing.

Bridgette shrugged. "When I decided to apply to become an official employee at the orphanage so Ms. Bertha wouldn't and couldn't ever threaten to fire me – the shelter needed and needs all the help it could get, Ms. Bertha can't really fire anyone as she needs all hands on deck – I asked her to not pay me," she explained. "Albeit, she seemed unenthusiastic about the prospect of paying me, I declined her offer."

If Bella's eyebrows were furrowed, now they were raised dangerously high up on her forehead

"What? Why would you do that?"

Bridgette just shrugged again. "The orphanage was already poor as it was and I was going to take money away from them for doing something I actually enjoyed?" she asked almost to herself. "It just didn't seem fair for me to take what little money they had for only cooking for the children. I was already doing it as a volunteer, so why should I suddenly get paid? Seeing Riley and the children there was reward enough."

Again, Bella and my jaws dropped to the floor…only in admiration this time.

I saw my wife blink rapidly before collecting herself. "Wow, that's so amazing. I don't think those kids have any idea how lucky they are to have someone like you there."

Bridgette smiled sadly while shaking her head softly. "I'm not that wonderful. If they had someone who _actually_ stood up for them and to Ms. Bertha, _then_ they'd be lucky," she said sadly. "I'm nothing but a coward. The orphanage would be a million times better if we had a better manager," she sighed almost wistfully.

"Someone who actually _leads_, not _bosses _everyone around. Someone who would love the children because of their wonderful little selves, not just because someone rich would adopt them. Someone who would care for them, give them the affection they need, not someone who yells and orders them around. Someone who had a better idea on how to actually_ run_ an orphanage without acting like a tyrant. Someone like-"

"Someone like _you?" _my wife interrupted Bridgette before she could finish.

Bridgette leaned back against her small plush chair as if Bella's words actually shoved her back in the face and blinked rapidly at my wife. "Wha-? W-w-what did you say?"

Bella smirked and let out a small giggle that warmed my heart as she saw Bridgette's stupefied expression. "You heard what I said. Don't you think that _you_ would be the perfect manager for the orphanage?" she asked. "You love each and every one of the kids there; you actually have _great_ ideas on how to improve the shelter; and I'm sure you're not going to be a tyrant if you had the opportunity to be the manager."

Bridgette was still as stone, except her heart which was beating way too fast to be considered healthy.

After a couple of seconds, she finally managed to say, "N-n-no. I think you guys have the wrong idea. _Me? _As the manager?" she said almost hysterically.

Bella just shook her head patiently at Bridgette and said, "I don't know what drugs you're on if you can't see that you would be the _perfect_ manager for the orphanage."

Although Bridgette tried to hold in her smile, she failed as the corners of her lips turned upwards.

It was only a second later when she finally let herself accept Bella's words. "Really? You guys think so?" she squealed excitedly.

Bella glanced at me and gave me a pointed look, silently asking me to say something. "Of course, Bridgette. It would be downright absurd if you didn't replace Bertha soon," I interjected. "We need to notify the mayor and the town committee as soon as possible. They need to know that no one is more fit to manage the orphanage besides you."

At the mention of the mayor, her delighted smile fell and she started twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

Before she could voice out her doubts once more, my wife piped in, "My husband's right, Bridgette. Anyone who refuses to let you manage the shelter is crazy."

"Thanks for stroking my ego, guys, but let's face it: no one would approve me replacing Ms. Bertha as the manager. She's been managing the shelter for far too long and the committee approves of her," she sighed sadly.

I truthfully didn't know what to say knowing that the mayor and town committee _did_ favor old Bertha.

Thankfully, Bella covered for me. "Exactly. The town council and the mayor approves of Bertha because they _don't know_ what's happening at the orphanage," she said. "All we need to do is convince them that a cruel woman like Bertha shouldn't be running an orphanage full of innocent children."

Bridgette smiled hesitantly. "I guess you're right. But how do we 'convince' them?" she asked. "Trust me, I've tried and tried to tell them how mean Ms. Bertha is but they never believed me."

"Well, they'll believe us for sure this time…because we're not going to _tell_ them how cruel that old hag is, we're going to _show _them," my wife smiled deviously.

Not for the first time, I was clueless as to what my brilliant wife had up her sleeves.

Both Bridgette and I looked at her, puzzled.

"Love, what are you trying to say?"

Bella then leaned in and told us her plan on how to get rid of Bertha.

I can honestly say that after her explanation, I fell even more in love with my wife…who had a devious and cunning side of her that I was just slowly discovering.

She leaned back against the sofa, dragging me up with her because my arm was still tightly wound around her waist. "So what do you think, Bridgette? You in?"

Bridgette's hesitant smile then turned into a full grin as she nodded her head excitedly.

Bella smiled smugly before ushering us all out of the house and into the car so we could head to the store to buy everything we needed.

As I clasped my wife's small and dainty hands and listened to Nessie's quiet hums to the radio with Bridgette smiling next to her, I couldn't stop my smile from forming.

_Operation get rid of Bertha as the head manager was officially on._

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**A/N: How did you guys like it? Any guesses on what they have planned? I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**I know that there wasn't – and hasn't – been a lot of Nessie interaction, but some things needed to be explained. Also, I apologize if there was too much dialogue/talking. I promise there'll be more Nessie interaction and less dialogue (I hope). It's just hard to promise less dialogue and things like that because these characters have a mind of their own.**

**I don't know if it ever happened/happens to you guys, but when I plan how my chapters are going to end, chances are they change. **

**Anyways, don't forget to leave a review!**


	10. Raleigh's Roaring Electronic Shop

A/N: Okay just to get things clear: I love, love that you guys are reviewing this story, but please if you're just going to say hurtful things, please stick to constructive criticism.

Constructive criticism is always welcome. After all, how am I – and this story – going to get better if no one brings my attention to my errors/typos. There's always room for improvement.

But that doesn't mean that you guys (and you know who you guys are, but I don't because you guys signed in as 'guests') can leave mean and hurtful reviews. "If you don't have anything nice or critical say, don't review/say it all.

I have FINALLY found a beta…well I have two now. **Random Loves and JustcallmeRiley**, I can't say it enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being my beta!

Enough of my rant. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 10: Raleigh's Roaring Electronic Shop**

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**(EPOV)**

The geeky-looking clerk jerked his head up from its previous perch when he caught site of the four of us, new customers, entering the spacious shop. "G-g-good afternoon. W-w-welcome to Raleigh's Roaring Electronics S-s-shop," he stuttered, his heart thumping loudly as he chanced a glance at my gorgeous wife. Her hand was clasped in mine as she glanced around.

I cursed at my luck. Of course, the only electronic shop nearby would have a male clerk. Why was the world against me?

_Oh come on, Cullen. I doubt that you could go somewhere and have __no one __admire your too-gorgeous wife… _

As I noticed the guy's eyes, which were covered under thick black framed glasses, glaze ever so slightly as he saw my Bella's smile. I let go of her hand, instead wrapping it tightly around her slender waist. Once he saw my pale arm curl possessively around Bella's waist, the guy's eyes flashed to mine, a deep blush covering his pimply face. I looked down at his name tag; it read: Craig. It was nice to finally not reference him as "the guy". But it still didn't bode well with me how he was still openly ogling my wife with his mouth agape.

I lifted Bella's left hand; her right still holding on to Nessie's tiny hand, and kissed her wedding rings. Thankfully, I didn't have to growl…much to get Craig to stop staring at the stunning woman next to me.

He straightened up and welcomed us again. "I-is there anything you guys are looking for specifically?"

I could see tiny beads of sweat collecting on his forehead which made me pity him…a bit. I couldn't really be angry at him because I know that had I been in his place, and not beside my lovely wife. I thank God I'm not! I would've been very intimidated at the prospect of talking to such a beautiful woman…who also had her possessive husband next to her. Still, it didn't mean that I would just stand aside while someone else ogled at my Bella.

Thankfully, the silence was broken by my wife.

"Good afternoon to you, too. Do you have a section for cameras and video equipment?" she asked, not even knowing that the Craig boy's heart was beating faster and faster just by listening to her sweet melodic voice.

He nodded eagerly, and then had to straighten his glasses that had gone askew as he did so. He turned around and passed through the small exit to guide us.

Walking in front us, I couldn't help but look at what the poor boy was wearing. His khakis were belted at the waist, his dark blue button up uniform shirt, with the store's logo and name stitched to the side, made him look thinner and wirier. His hair was slick with oil. I'm guessing due to all of the gel he used to tame his unruly jet black hair. He looked to be close to seventeen, and in another life could've passed for my twin, except for his dark hair. If I wasn't raised in my time, an era where at seventeen boys were already considered men, I knew that I would've turned out just like him, wiry, way too tall and lankier than others.

I was just lucky that before I caught the influenza and, subsequently changed by Carlisle, that I was able to get in shape. Thanks, in part, to playing baseball and helping around the neighborhood. Helping my mother and her friends, I used to do a great deal of heavy lifting, as most of the men were away at war. I also assisted with gardening, trimming hedges and pulling weeds. These activities earned me a bit of muscle mass and strong biceps, which my beautiful wife loved to touch and squeeze.

Like every time, thoughts of my wife touching me led to more intimate thoughts, and I felt the all too familiar stirring in my pants.]

_Geez, Cullen. Can you please not get a hard-on right __now__? In case you forgot, you're staring at Craig's back side…_

Well, that thought definitely took care of my arousal.

Observing the geeky boy in front of me, I knew that it was only a matter of time that he would find his own beautiful girl to love and turn him into a confident man.

Although being a vampire made me perfect…physically, at least, it was Bella who truly made me feel so. I – and I'm sure almost all of the male population – needed their own beautiful woman to make them feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin.

After all, by giving me her love and affection, Bella completely changed me for the better. I, once an insecure and broody vampire, was now a blissful man who truly saw the beauty in eternal life that I had hated so much.

Passing the laptop and computer section, Craig finally stopped us at our section. He turned around. "Well, here you guys are-" he broke off, once Bella looked back at him after checking out the cameras of all different sizes around us.

"I-I-Is t-there a-a-anything you guys are looking for specifically?" he stuttered, clearing his throat while blushing madly. My wife smiled at him sympathetically before averting her eyes, somehow knowing that she was the cause of this school boy's deep blush.

Instinctively, I tightened my arms around her.

"Uhm...we're looking for video cameras, small size with a long battery life. Oh, and memory cards with enough room to hold several hours of footage," my wife asked.

He nodded, averting his eyes at us while blushing madly. I couldn't help a small chuckle from escaping. He thought that we wanted to film…err, certain things that happened in the bedroom. I stifled my snort. Apparently, Craig was like most high school aged male, his mind was constantly in the gutter. He obviously read too many dirty magazines.

Besides, I would rather soon rip off my right arm than let someone else other than me witness how beautiful and absolutely sexy my wife was behind our bedroom's closed doors.

_Really, Cullen? __Only __'behind your bedroom's closed doors'? Have you suddenly acquired amnesia? Have you forgotten that you have taken your wife in many other places __other__ than your bedroom?_

And..., cue the hard-on.

Discreetly, I adjusted myself and refrained from thinking any further about our sexcapades. We had a mission to do and we didn't have much time left. Thankfully, Bella didn't get the gist of where Craig, and my own, minds and thoughts were heading. She looked at him again, and with a dazzling smile that caused his heart to skip a beat, asked, "So? Do you think you have what we're looking for?"

He nodded eagerly before hastily leading us into the "Video Camera" section, almost tripping on his own feet in his haste to impress my wife. He stopped us at the corner where a bunch of new and complicated looking cameras were all laid out on display, varying in sizes and designs. Craig then started spouting off information for every single video camera like a mad man.

"Well this camcorder, usually called a video camera, is nice and sturdy. The hulk is nice and wide, not to mention the screen is clear and records very nice quality," he explained, pointing to a video camera that was too big for what we needed.

"Over here, we have a slightly smaller version. But don't let the size fool you! The lenses are able to zoom in so closely that you'll be able to see anything and everything, no matter how far or near it is. Not to mention that it's a touch screen! Amazing, huh? The system is top-notch, if you ask me," he said excitedly, waving his hand in front of a camera that looked exactly like the other one, only much smaller. He drew in a deep breath. "Now this one! Oh man, this is a ve-"

Having already seen and heard enough, my wife held up one of her dainty hands. "Uhm, well, thank you Craig. Really, but I think we can take it from here," she said as gently as she could, "We know what we're looking for so we'll just call you over if we need any help."  
He snapped his mouth shut as he blushed a deep red, accentuating the pimples that bloomed on his face. "I'm sorry. I just...get carried away sometimes," he mumbled, unable to look at any of us, before gesturing to the small storage closet, "I-I-I'll be over there if you need me."

Okay. And thanks for the help, really. You're good at what you do," she said sweetly, and with a kind nod, feeding what little self esteem he had.

So when he looked up and gave her a relieved smile, I didn't growl…that loud. The boy was enough of a mumbling mess, without having me growl at him because he took a liking to my beautiful and oh-so-lovable wife. I couldn't really blame the guy. My wife was too sweet and nice for her own good.

Carlisle and Charlie were right. I definitely had my hands full. Not only because of my lovely wife, but also because of our equally sweet and adorable daughter…who was currently off in a corner, sitting on Bridgette's lap, giggling happily while watching the movie showing on the televisions. I smiled. I knew it wouldn't be long until my little angel had Bridgette wrapped around her tiny finger.

Once Craig stumbled in the closet; honestly, that boy was like a male version of my Bella when flustered, my wife dragged me by the hand back towards the small video cameras. Turning toward me and biting her lip, she said hesitantly, "Okay. I guess since you are the one installing these around the orphanage; you should pick the ones that would work best."

I noticed the doubt in her eyes and huffed exasperatedly. "My God, Bella! You know I love you but have a little faith in me, please? I told you. I know how to set up some video cameras."

She pulled away and crossed her arms, which just pushed her full breasts up and nearly spilling out of the neckline of her sweater.

_Pull yourself together, man! You're wife is doubting your – __our!__- manliness and there you are checking her out! _

I grumbled a little. What the hell did my subconscious expect me to do? Not stare at my wife's delectable breasts? ("Drool is a better word," my subconscious piped in.) They were practically calling out to me, begging to be released, suckled, to make them pebble-

I was brought out of my lust induced haze, when my wife punched my chest softly. I rubbed the spot subconsciously. It honestly didn't hurt, but I knew my wife; if I even brought up her strength, which was nothing compared to mine, she would get even more pissed.

"Are you even listening to me? I said I'm sorry anyways, geez. Get over your macho pride problem," she huffed, before her lips started twitching at my still dazed expression.

And because I could never not return a smile in response to her own smile or laugh, I felt the small smirk tug at my lips as well. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, her petite arms coming around my waist as she buried her face in my chest.

"I'm really sorry if you thought I was seriously doubting your abilities. I just really want this to work. Every one of the children's, not to mention Bridgette's and all the other kind volunteers, futures are relying on us…on these cameras," she explained, her breaths growing uneven.

"Hey, none of that, love. I promise you, we will make a difference in their lives. We will change it for the better, I swear to you," I said reassuringly, stroking her silky hair, and kissing her temple once her breaths evened out. We were brought out of our little bubble by none other than our small angel.

"Look Daddy! Look Mommy! My face is so big!" she giggled, making circular motions in front of her face to emphasize her point. Bella let out a contented sigh as she walked over to our baby.

"Yes, you are, Nessie. Sweetie, don't touch that too much, okay? We don't want you to break something," she warned, moving our little daughter away from the camera and its screen. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as my daughter pouted her rosy lips. Her eyes met mine.

"Oh Daddy, did you see? My face was so huge!" she giggled again before running over to me. Having already too much experience on her hugging my legs, I scooped her in my arms as we walked back to Bridgette and Bella.

"I did, sweet girl. Why don't we go see if there's more of those camera and TV screens, okay?" I couldn't resist kissing her rosy cheeks. She nodded against me, her bronze hair tickling my jaw slightly as she looked around the store with wide eyes.

She leapt out of my arms as she saw the camera and the screen that was connected to it, showing what the camera was seeing. Posted was a small sign that read: Please Don't Touch.

Honestly, why put something like this in a store? I knew that kids and children and some adults themselves couldn't, and wouldn't, resist but to take a closer look. I knelt down to Nessie's height and stroked her hair as she started making weird motions in front of the camera. I guess my daughter did too many mirroring exercises at school.

Bella just rolled her eyes at us and finally gave up on trying to stop us. Instead, she linked her arms through Bridgette's, who was watching our interaction happily, and left the area. Before leaving, my wife called back over her shoulder. with an indulgent smile and a roll of her beautiful eyes, "We're going to look for those cameras now…since you suddenly transformed into a two year old. You're more useful entertaining your daughter than helping us."

Nessie didn't even bat an eyelash, being too busy to pay attention to her mother. I blew Bella a kiss before going back to my newly assigned job: our little Nessie.

It wasn't very hard to do because the camera, T.V. screen thingy did the job for me. We played and motioned weird actions in front of the camera making us look like demented monks meditating or people who were trying to stay balanced on a boat or a piece of log, like that boy on Karate Kid…whatever you called it. I knew we looked ridiculous. But so what? If my daughter was happy, I'd do it no matter how stupid I looked.

After getting her fill of seeing herself on the T.V. screen doing the same actions she was doing in front of the camera, Nessie grabbed my hand ready to walk around. What did I tell you? My two girls ruled my life.

I scooped Nessie in my arms before planting a huge kiss on her cheeks. "Where do you want to go next, sweetheart?"

Her small eyebrows furrowed as she gave the matter serious thought or as much as a two year old could ponder something. She looked at me excitedly, the twinkle in her eye that was all Bella, glinting her hazel eyes. "Oooh, can we go to the DVD section, Daddy? Please?" she pleaded, as if the idea of me ever saying no to her was conceivable.

_You are so screwed, Cullen._

I ignored my subconscious as my Nessie continued, complete with her trademark pout. "There's a new Barbie DVD coming out, can we see if it's there? Please, pretty please?"

"Of course sweetheart," I chuckled out in reply. We walked to the DVD section and low and behold, the Barbie section was there. Honestly, I loved my kid and all, but it was always Bella, Alice, Esme, or Rosalie who took her to these things.

How can someone be so obsessed with the color pink?

I get it. It's a wonderful color and all. But really? I felt like I was in wonderland. I just held in all of my complaints as I saw Nessie, who wiggled out of my arms the minute she saw the familiar blonde doll, excitedly peering into the glass to look at the titles.

I watched her hazel eyes widen as she leaned in, her face and tiny hands pressed tightly against the clear glass, to see the pictures. I grabbed her hand and tugged her back gently. Knowing that my wife would kill me if I let Nessie touch that glass. It was too dirty and unsanitary for our little girl to touch.

She looked up at me and lifted her hands up. I rolled my eyes playfully at her. "Oh I see the way it is. You just want me here to carry you."

No, Daddy, never," she giggled, unexpectedly hugging my waist while shaking her head against my legs. "I love you but I also love it that you're tall. You can carry me so I can see things. Mommy can't do that, only Aunt Rosie and all my Uncas and Gramps, but not Auntie Alice or Gramma…"she trailed off thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side, an adorable gesture she inherited from Bella.

I bit my cheek to reign in my laughter. I would surely get in trouble if my wife ever caught wind of me laughing at our daughter's observation on her height.

I knelt down and scooped Nessie in my arms. Leaning out of my arms, she excitedly browsed every section, looking for a specific DVD.

I didn't want to be rude and all, but aren't they all the same?

I closed my eyes for a second and I swear, I saw pink and a flash of blonde hair lighting up everything. I let Nessie look around quietly, only moving when she asked. "Please move to the right, Daddy."

While my daughter was busy looking around, I thought about our plan. Maybe I should call Jasper or do something to make sure I install the cameras correctly and connect them our monitors. Bella was right. These hidden cameras were our only hope of ever making the mayor and the town committee believe us.

Hopefully, once we installed the hidden cameras at the orphanage, Bertha will show her true colors. After we captured all of the footage we needed, we would show it around and prove to them that that old bat wasn't suitable to run an orphanage full of innocent children.

Without even realizing it, I zonked out and wasn't paying attention until Nessie patted my cheek softly. I blinked at her and she smiled in return.

"Hey, Daddy. Where were you? You looked ditracted," she giggled, not even knowing that she pronounced the word incorrectly. I smiled at her.

"Just thinking, sweetheart. Did you find the DVD you were looking for?"

She nodded happily as she pointed a small finger towards a DVD that looked exactly the same as every single Barbie movie around me. I looked up at her beaming face, her dimples jutting out, and shrugged internally. I guess Barbie movies were just one of the many things Daddy's not going to understand.

As I called for the sales clerk to open the glass, Nessie let out a small gasp as she clutched my arm that was in mid-air. I looked at her. "Nessie, baby, didn't you want this movie? Let's go call the lady over to help us out, ok-"

I was cut off as she looked around…for who or what, I didn't know. "But, Daddy, you can't just buy it for me!"

I could feel my eyebrows crinkle in confusion. If my baby wanted something, why the hell wasn't I supposed to give it to her? She shook her head. "Mommy said to buy things that I only need. I don't really need that movie. I want it-" she eyed the DVD longingly before shaking her head determinedly, "but I don't really need it. Those poor kids at the house needs the money more."

I'm pretty sure I gaped at her. My kid was two not fifty two. Composing myself after her explanation, I stroked her head.

"Oh, Nessie, sweetheart. It's okay to want something…that's why Mommy and Daddy work hard to buy you anything and everything you need and want as long as it is within our reach," I kissed her forehead, "We will help out those children at the shelter and we'll make sure they never go hungry again.

"But don't you think we should buy this Barbie DVD? Think about it, sweetheart, if we buy it, you can watch it with the other girls, and the boys, if they want to watch it," I said, knowing that I was convincing her.

She gazed longingly at the DVD once more, biting her lip. I swear, she was turning into a miniature Bella more every day. She finally nodded after putting thought into it. I grinned triumphantly as I called the middle aged lady, who was quietly watching us.

She smiled at us. "You guys ready?"

Nessie looked at me before nodding shyly at the lady. After getting out the DVD, the lady, Meriam, led us to the checkout counter to complete the purchase.

While in line, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I smiled briefly at three happy faces beaming up at me. Esme insisted on taking a family picture of Bella, Ness, and I to use as my screen saver. I opened my text messages and read the newest one:

We found it, Babe. Meet us at Cameras – aisle three… Love you!

I smiled before typing out a short reply.

After giving the twenty dollar bill at the cashier, I carried Nessie towards her mother while she swung the small plastic bag with her DVD tucked inside.

Nessie hummed happily to herself, taking in her surroundings, and then letting out a loud squeal when she spotted Bella and Bridgette.

My lovely wife raised an eyebrow while eyeing the bag that our daughter was swinging.

I shrugged before sheepishly flashing her my crooked smile. She rolled her eyes at me before coming over and kissing each of us on the cheek.

"Look, Mommy! Daddy bought me the newest Barbie movie," she squealed before wrapping her arms around Bella's neck and jumping in her arms. Bella stroked Nessie's hair and smiled at her. "Well did you say thank you to Daddy, Ness?"

Our daughter nodded excitedly, her little fist clutching a lock of Bella's mahogany hair. We remained in our family bubble before Bridgette cleared her throat. All eyes turned to her as she smiled at us.

"As much as I love seeing this Kodak family moment, we really do need to hurry back to the orphanage. We want enough time to set up these cameras and get everything in motion," she said apologetically. Bella nodded before taking my hand to lead us to the cameras they found.

Looking at them, I knew they were exactly what we needed. They were black, sleek, had a simple design and fewer fixed] buttons. Reading the description next to it; this camera had a long memory, but best of all, it was tiny. This kind of video camera wouldn't be noticed at the orphanage, if hidden well in discreet places. It would give us the perfect opportunity to capture everything we needed to show the mayor and the town committee.

As I was inspecting the camera box, Bridgette turned to me. "Listen, Edward, I really appreciate what you and Bella are doing. You have no idea how much I, and I'm sure the rest of the volunteers back at the shelter, appreciate it," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "You and your family are the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I know, without a doubt, that Sarah is smiling down upon all three of you. You have no idea how many kids, now and in the future, you are helping…changing their lives for the better."

Smelling the faint scent of salt in the air, I touched her shoulder and then patted her back softly. "It's okay. Anyone would be cruel not to do anything to help the shelter. There is no other group home organization that deserves more help than yours. It's about time that you all get what you deserve," I said, "We will make sure that you get every cent, every penny back that Bertha took from the shelter…and most importantly from the children."

She nodded gratefully before averting her eyes and clearing her throat.

I looked around me and I saw Bella smiling at us. Our eyes met as Bella mouthed, "I love you."

I mouthed it back and our gaze broke as Nessie tugged on her mother's hair to bring her attention back to her. Bella smiled briefly before giving her full attention back to our daughter who was looking around at every camera with wide eyes, pressing random buttons.

I laughed quietly as Bella held Nessie's arm as she restrained our very excited daughter.

"No, baby, we can't play with these cameras, okay? We don't want to break anything…"

Nessie giggled but pulled back her small hand. "Okay, Mommy. Sorry."

I picked up the variety of video cameras and brought them to the cashier. I checked out the different sizes and designs that we needed for the different rooms and hiding places; I couldn't help but smile. Our plan was finally coming to fruition.

"Hello, I hope you fou-"the teenage girl broke off mid-sentence, her gum nearly falling out of her gaping mouth as I came up on her aisle.

I rolled my eyes internally at her obtuseness. Honestly, is that what everyone just cares about? Our physical beauty?

I heard Bella's quiet irritated sigh as she no doubt knew what the cashier was thinking. I squeezed her hand in reassurance. I didn't care about anyone else's attention save for my wife and daughter.

The blonde cashier stole glances at me thinking that we wouldn't notice. I knew that we needed more cameras, so I politely asked if there was more stock in the back.

The cashier gave me a weird questioning in response to my request, and then with a flip of her over-sprayed blonde hair, she walked toward the storage closet, but not before revealing her thoughts:

"_Jeez, is this guy hot or what? That girl next to him better be his sister…or cousin. What up with the cameras though? Oh who the hell cares…if he kept using that voice, I'd give him anything he wants…"_

I shuddered. Being around people like her made me love my wife all the more. Unlike the rest of the female population, my wife was the realest and simplest it could go.

My wife was real and as natural as could be. Even when she was human, she had no need for embellishments. Now, as a vampire, she was perfection.

When the cashier came back with her arms full of the extra cameras I asked for, I didn't even look at her for longer than a minute. I didn't want her thinking that I was even remotely interested in her. There was no one who held my interest more than my own wife. With her beauty, brains, and kindness, what else could I ask for? I'm a lucky bastard.

The cashier scanned our items and rang up the receipt. I paid quickly, and then dragged my wife behind me, Bridgette and Nessie right behind us. I was not quite fast enough to avoid seeing the cashier batting her eyelashes. Bella let out a small giggle as she felt my disgusted shudder and at how fast I was striding towards the car. I rolled my eyes at her, but opened the door of the passenger side for her.

Bridgette struggled to catch up to her as she was also holding Nessie's small hand. Living with her overprotective family, Nessie was taught to be careful when crossing the street. So as she was clutching on Bridgette's hand, Ness looked from left to right for cars, her bronze ringlets bouncing around her face.

I buckled Bella in the car and kissed her cheek as she made a face at me. Had she been human, I knew she would've been blushing like crazy. It had been a true sight to behold. Back when she was human, I admit, I purposely made her blush to see the rosy color tint her cheeks. It was even more fascinating watching it up-close.

Bridgette was about to open the back door for her and Nessie, when my angel stopped her and shook her head at her no. "You can't open the door, Ms. B. Daddy loves... doing it. He said it was his job," she explained with a giggle.

I couldn't help but smile. Yes, it took some time for Bella and Nessie to get used to my gentlemanly ways, but I'd be damned if my two girls ever opened a door for themselves when I was around. They deserved nothing but the best.

Bridgette looked at me as I did my job. She blushed a deep red. Apparently, Bridgette wasn't used to such "chivalry" as Bella called it. Nessie didn't react any different, aside from giving me a brief hug, already used to my doting. Once everyone was safely buckled in, I drove to the orphanage.

The only thing left to do was to install these video cameras and that old bat will do the rest for us.

* * *

Betaed by: Random Loves and JustcallmeRiley

Thanks for your input and help! I didn't know that getting your chapter betaed was such a long process. I don't know how I ever published chapters without both of your opinions and inputs! Thanks again.


	11. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**A/N: Hello, this chapter will be slightly different than the others. Thanks to my Beta's (JustcallmeRiley) suggestion, this is going to be a "filler chapter".**

**We're taking a break from EPOV and BPOV and whatever is happening in North Carolina…hope you like this.**

**Don't forget to leave a review.**

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**Chapter 11: A Trip Down Memory Lane**

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**(Carlisle's POV)**

"Dr. Cullen, here's another to sign," Nurse Greene purred, batting her eyelashes as she looked me up and down appreciatively.

I hid my shudder and disgust. I honestly didn't know how Edward did it. How can he stand hearing everyone's thoughts about him and his wife?

No wonder he was so jealous and broody all the time.

I stood up from my chair and forced my lips to turn up into a smile. "Thank you, Ms. Greene. I'll make sure to sign them before I leave…" I said, glancing down at my watch and breathed a small sigh of relief.

Thinking that I couldn't hear her, she breathed out a quiet sigh of frustration. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and I pretended to be occupied with the stack of papers on my desk. She looked at the clock then at me before rolling her eyes and readjusting her shirt…which was way too low cut to be considered classy.

"Are you sure you have to leave so soon? My friends and I are going out to dinner later. Would you like to come with us?" she asked coyly, batting her eyelashes.

She was making this hard, really. I'm trying to be a gentleman and here she was begging to be laughed at. Didn't they all know that I had eyes for no other but my wife?

It was all rather pathetic…

I cleared my throat; struggling not to roll my eyes at her blatant flirting. I was literally counting down the minutes until I could see my beautiful wife again. "Thank you for the offer, Ms. Greene, but I really must be going. My wife is expecting me."

I observed her roll her eyes again, she must have thought I couldn't see her. "Alright. And I told you, Dr. Cullen..." she said, her purring voice returning, causing in me another involuntary shudder, "You can call me Hailey."

Making a show of rummaging through my desk drawer; the desk serving as a convenient buffer, I cleared my throat. Honestly, couldn't she take a hint?

Over-confident, she took a step toward me; I was forced to drop my gentlemanly demeanor. Yes, I try to not make a habit of disrespecting women, and ladies…but this persistent girl in front of me was too incessant for her, well my, own good.

Straightening up to my full height, my nostrils flared in obvious agitation, I barked out, "Miss Greene, if you'll please excuse me, I must be going. Kindly leave those papers on my table and I'll make sure to sign them as soon as I can." I looked at the papers held in her badly manicured hands, then at the table, and for good measure, I looked pointedly at the door. I could only hope that my message came across.

She huffed and then plastered on a fake smile, before dropping the papers on my desk. She made a show of leaning down ridiculously low; I looked away before my eyes were scorched. Nurse Greene didn't hold a candle to my wife's beauty…no one could.

Realizing that she really didn't hold my attention, she skedaddled towards the door. I'm sure in effort to save what little dignity she had left.

I swear, women today are just too much. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are plenty of respectable ones out here. None of them work here, geez. Is the ring on my finger not enough of a sign to tell them to back off?

I am a married man, a happy one at that, so why did they even bother flirting with me?

Once I heard the door shut, I filed through the papers that had started the whole off-putting flirtation of Nurse Greene. As I came to the last page, I quickly signed off; I couldn't help but look at the ticking clock.

_Wait for me, my darling Esme, I'll be home soon…_

**-xXx-**

**(Esme POV)**

I released a silent sigh as I gazed down at the framed picture. The beautiful smiles of my youngest son, and his very happy little family, beaming back at me.

For nearly a century Edward had wandered around this planet without a mate, without anyone to rely on. Then suddenly a mere and fragile beauty by the name of Isabella Swan came into his life. She nearly ruined everything he had worked his whole existence for.

I still remember the day when he came home, clearly aggravated, and announced that he was leaving for Alaska...

…

_My humming was interrupted by a loud slam of a car door. I could feel my eyebrows scrunching in confusion. Carlisle was on duty at the hospital, the rest of the family was at school. I wasn't expecting anyone; so who was here?_

_I stood up from the flower bed I was working on, took off my gloves, and made my way inside to get a better look. I peeked out the window, and was met with the sight of my youngest son running his pale hand frustratedly through his bronze hair, causing it to stick up unevenly._

_Edward was by no means my youngest son. He was actually older than me – in vampire years. Out of all my children, it felt like he was the youngest. I know as a parent that you should never have favorites, but Edward, from the very beginning, has held a special place in my heart._

_Maybe it was from watching him struggle with his ability to read minds? Maybe it was because ever since my transformation, he was the only vampire, aside from Carlisle, to help me cope with my new life? Maybe, it was because, out of all my family, Edward was the only one without a mate?_

_Emmett had his Rosalie, Jasper had his Alice, but what did Edward have?_

_He had no mate to take care of, to love and no one to love him in return. Yes, we all loved him and he loved all of us. However, a love between two soul-mates is completely different from the love you feel, and receive, from your family._

_I know that his pain was multiplied ten-fold because of his hatred of his existence, the fact that he had to live with three mated couples and couldn't help but read their minds. Edward was very unlike Emmett and Alice. Rather than seeing the glass half full, he saw it as half empty. I knew that it would take someone, a special someone, to make him see the brighter side of things._

_My musings were interrupted when Edward rather ungracefully opened the door, not even noticing my presence. He started pacing back and forth at the entrance, pinching the bridge of his nose agitatedly._

_"Edward, dear, is something wrong? Why are you back so early?" I asked, hesitantly._

_He abruptly stilled and faced me. He rubbed the back of his hands against his eyes as he explained, through uneven breaths, "I have to…go to Alaska…take some time off…or else…"_

_My eyebrows scrunched as I caught some of his rambling._

_"Alaska? Why?"_

_He inhaled deeply before replying, "There's this girl– the new girl, Chief Swan's Daughter. Apparently, she's my singer. I already explained everything to Carlisle but he told me to say goodbye to you before I left. I'm sure he can explain everything later."_

_Edward was already turning towards the door; I reached out a hand to stop him. Already knowing the answer, I asked anyway, "Wait! You're leaving? Already? Are you sure you have to leave? What if you just stay here?"_

_He turned towards me and hugged me._

_"I'm sorry, Esme, but it's better if I leave now."_

_I didn't know who would've benefitted from his leaving. Whether it was the new girl or him._

_I wrapped my arms around his waist as I felt my heart constrict. Wiping at my cheeks, although I knew there were no tears, I said, "Well, you do what you need to do. But don't take too long, okay?"_

_He nodded and with one last kiss to my forehead, headed out the door to his car. Before completely disappearing out of sight, I caught sight of Edward's tight smile in his side view mirror. Soon, the smell of burned rubber wafted up the driveway; I softly closed the door._

_I didn't know who this new girl was that caused my son to run away, but I already didn't like her._

**-xXx-**

I gave my head a shake remembering my thoughts of nearly three years ago. How I could've felt anything but love for my new daughter, I would never understand?

If I had known then that Isabella Swan, Bella, and my son were going to marry one day and have a child together, I would've honestly smacked myself for ever having any ill feelings towards her. I'd have just cry tears of joy, that my bachelor son finally found love.

Yes, it took them a while to finally get to the point where they were both truly happy with themselves and each other, but it was all worth it. Even when Edward came crying on my shoulder after he decided to leave Bella; I knew they would find themselves back to each other. I couldn't help the small sniffle that escaped as soon as I remembered how distraught my son was days before he convinced all of us to leave Forks.

…

_"We have to leave Forks…for good," he said, his eyes emotionless and empty as he sat on the head of the dining table._

_Emmett was the first to react. He clapped his paw-like hands against the wooden table. "Are you serious?! Right now?! We can't just leave," he spat the words laced with venom, before finishing stubbornly, "Baby B doesn't deserve that. I refuse to go."_

_As if expecting his reaction, Edward sighed in resignation. "Em, I know you don't want to leave. I don't want to leave," Emmett snorted, Edward turned his head sharply towards his brother and glared at him, "You think I want to leave the best thing that's ever happened to me?! You think I want this?"_

_Emmett wasn't the least bit intimidated. "No one said that you wanted to leave but I, myself, think that this plan of yours to 'move away from Forks'," he mocked as he motioned air quotes, "is because you're a coward. A goddamn coward who can't face his problems head on, who feels the need to take himself out of the situation to what? Save her? Let her live her human life?"_

_"Come on, Eddie, we all know that's not what you want. So save yourself some pain and think about this," as Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Emmett cut him off and continued, not even noticing Rosalie take hold of his hand, "Really think about it. Once you finally realize the consequences of this decision, tell me._

_"But I refuse to sit here and let your emo-ass drag me and everyone else around. Alice may not be here, but I know she'd side with me. Don't go making decisions that will not only affect your existence, but ours as well. In case you haven't noticed, we actually love Bella._

_"Once you think things through, come and talk to us. But for now, I'm out. It's not fair to make decisions for Bella when even she hasn't even had a say."_

_He let go of Rose's hand and bolted for the door. All eyes turned toward Edward who just stared at the now empty chair._

_"Ignore whatever he said. We're leaving."_

_Although he tried to hide it, I could see doubt cloud over his features. Before any of us could react or say anything, he stood up stiffly and headed toward the stairs. He paused at the first step, and looked over his shoulder, throwing out what sounded like a final order, "Please pack up your things. I think it's best if we leave by the end of this week. Only I will stay to say…goodbye."_

_I heard more than saw his swallow at the last part of his statement. We heard his bedroom door shut softly before the sound of some rock band blasted through the walls._

_I turned to Rose and Carlisle and noticed their matching expressions. I moved beside my husband embracing him._

_"What are we going to do?"_

_He kissed my forehead before giving me a sad smile and replied, "There's nothing we can do, sweetheart. Edward has always accommodated us, without question in the past, when anyone one of us has had to move or relocate. It's only fair that we pay him the same courtesy."_

_Before I could reply, Rosalie gave an impatient huff._

_"Well, this is just dandy isn't it? Just because of his selfishness we have to move? Don't you think we should just knock his ass out and force him to see things the way my husband pointed out?" she snarled, with a roll of her eyes, "Let's face it. This is Edward we're talking about. He won't be able to stay away from his human. Let's just save all the unnecessary drama by not leaving."_

_She turned toward the window, hiding her face. Whether she accepted it or not, Rosalie did have a heart. She just struggled to show affection towards someone else other than her husband. I knew that it was all because of what had happened to her in her human life. She had a harder time trusting others and took a longer time to warm up to anyone outside of her family._

_Because of the many decades I spent with her, I knew she was slowly warming up to the idea of Bella as Edward's mate. Behind her hard exterior and stiff words, I knew Bella was already worming her way into Rosalie's frozen heart. One clumsy trip at a time. One red blush at a time._

_I heard Carlisle sigh as he tightened his hold on me. "I know, Rose, I know. As unfair as it seems, we have to respect Edward's wishes. He just has Bella's best intentions at heart," he reasoned, giving a kiss to my forehead, "As I said, all these years, Edward moved to the next location when needed without question. It's only fair that we do the same for him now."_

_With a flick of her hair Rosalie turned towards us paused, and then stood. "Fine," she said ominously as she strode to the bedroom she shared with Emmett, "I'll start packing but he better not come crying to us when he finally realizes that he can't survive without her. And mark my words, he will regret this."_

_I looked at Carlisle and he smiled sadly at me in response._

_"Is there nothing we can do? Can't we convince him to stay and think about it thoroughly, before making such a big decision?"_

_He shook his head._

_"I'm afraid not, darling. Edward is one of the most stubborn people I've ever known, once he puts his mind into something, there's no way you can talk him out of it. We're just going to have to pack up and follow his wishes."_

_I sniffled at the thought, of how much my family, not to mention Bella, would suffer because of this decision. We haven't even left yet and this family was slowly dividing._

_Carlisle crushed me against his chest and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry, darling, I know it's hard, but we have to do what we have to do. Don't you worry, everything will get better."_

_I nodded. I knew he was right. Deep down, I knew that everything would get better. I didn't know if it was mother's intuition, but I knew that Bella and Edward would find their way back to each other._

**-xXx-**

And I was right all along. Although it took nearly a year, Edward finally realized that he belonged nowhere else but next to his mate, Bella.

After they returned from Italy, Edward and Bella became closer, but the obstacles that came their way never stopped. There were: the werewolves; Jacob; Victoria and her vampire army; the Volturi; and Bella's own undecided future, all things that tested the strength of their relationship. Although, Victoria and her newborn army was more lethal and dangerous; it was Jacob who came the closest to tearing them apart.

My poor son didn't know what to do about Jacob. At one end, he didn't want to hate him because he took care of Bella when we left her in the fall. At the same time, he had to battle with his hatred for his natural enemy, the knowledge that Jacob had his eyes set on Edward's mate.

To Bella, Edward may be her knight in shining armor, never one to fear something, always brave and unwavering of confidence, but I knew better. I knew that little by little, my poor son was breaking. I could still remember the exact time when the dam really broke.

…

_I quietly knocked on Edward's door, knowing that he could still hear it over the loud music that blasted from his speakers. I stood outside for a couple minutes, before twisting the doorknob to let myself in. Immediately, my hands went to my lips, stifling my horrified gasp at the sight of my distraught son lying on the floor, his body twisted at an awkward angle._

_I rushed to his side and laid his head on my lap._

_"Oh, Edward, son are you okay? Alice told me about Bella going to La Push with Ja-"_

_I stopped short when I heard his whimper. I stroked his hair as he curled towards me like a small child seeking comfort in their mother's arms._

_"Dear, don't worry, Bella will be back soon and then you can talk this out."_

_Before I even finished my sentence, he was shaking his head and muttering nonsense under his breath._

_"My fault…all my fault…no one to blame but me…"_

_I felt my eyes crease in confusion._

_How is Bella going to La Push his fault? Granted, Jacob and the werewolves were dangerous with their unpredictable tempers, but how was that Edward's fault?_

_"Dear, I don't understand what you mean. What are you to be blamed at?" I asked hesitantly as his body shook with tearless sobs. I knew he couldn't talk until he calmed down so I just pulled him tighter, running my hands down his back soothingly._

_I don't know how long we sat there, me comforting him and Edward working through his pain, his head on my lap. After awhile, he regained his composure. He stood up slowly and propped his head up on his knee, his other hand raking through his hair. He looked at me and my heart broke at the anguish, confusion, and sadness swimming in their golden depths._

_"It's all my fault, Mom, that Bella is at La Push risking her life to spend time with that dog," he growled the last word out._

_"No it isn't, dear."_

_He shook his head defiantly._

_"Yes it is. If I just hadn't left last fall," he swallowed deeply before continuing, "She wouldn't feel the need to go to him. She wouldn't feel guilty for not spending time with him. If I just stayed, she wouldn't be over there, feeling some sick obligation to be his friend when that's not all he wants! He wants to take my only reason for existence away from me, and as much as it kills me, I can't do anything about it because it's all my fault!"_

_His hands were clenching and frustratedly fisting his hair. I stared at the action, but I couldn't make my brain formulate words in response. Unfortunately, he took my silence as an agreement._

_"See? Even you know that this is all my fault. Every sleepless night that Bella has because of thoughts about him, every time she stares into space, I know she's feeling guilty for his pain. And who's to blame for all that? Me!" he shouted, sharply jabbing a finger against his chest._

_I walked towards him and held his head to my shoulder. He was stiff in my arms, his anger still radiating through him. Puffs of his uneven breaths beating against my shoulder blade._

_"Shh...it's okay, dear, no matter how guilty Bella feels, no matter how many nights she doesn't sleep, know that it is you she loves. Not him," I said._

_"Really? You think so? Even after all I've put her through? How much I've hurt her? She'll still choose me?"_

_"I don't think it, dear, I know it," I replied with a nod, and then I stood up. Edward standing as well, picking at his shirt self-consciously, no doubt embarrassed at losing his cool in front of his mother._

_I leaned over and hugged him._

_"Hey, none of that. No need to be embarrassed. Sometimes, we just need a good melt down to get our frustrations out. There's nothing wrong with that."_

_He nodded against me. I pulled away and kissed both of his cheeks before telling him, "Now don't you ever forget what I told you. You and Bella are meant to be. Now pull yourself together, so that by the time she gets here, you'll look fresh and clean. I'll be downstairs if you need me."_

_One more motherly kiss, to his forehead this time, I left his room. No matter what came their way, I knew Edward and Bella were going to get their happily ever after, even if they to experience some pain. After all, sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better._

**-xXx-**

Over the time we spent together, Jacob became like another son to me. His imprint on our little Nessie only solidified it. Edward and Bella may not have approved, but I knew when the time came, there was no other man better suited for my granddaughter than Jacob.

Even though Edward understood, I knew he still struggled to accept that his daughter had her soul mate. She wouldn't ever have to suffer heart break as she already had, the one. His overprotective nature was amplified because he could hear his daughter's future mate's every thought. Fatherhood was a wonderful gift for Edward that none of us had thought possible.

As I looked down at a beaming Edward in the picture, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as I recalled how nervous he was on his wedding day.

…

_"Knock. Knock," I said as I entered the big tent situated at the side of our backyard. I was met with the site of Edward pacing back and forth, pulling agitatedly at the hem of his dress shirt._

_"Nervous?" I asked, letting out a small giggle at his sad state. Abruptly, he stopped and turned to me._

_"Very," he replied solemnly._

_I walked over and straighten out his crooked tie. My hand resting gently on his chest, I looked up and said, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be perfect."_

_He dismissively shook his head and pulled away to resume his pacing._

_"Are you sure? How can you be sure? What if she finally realizes that this is all a mistake? That she's marrying a monster? What if she runs away from me, not even bothering to walk down the aisle?" he choked out._

_My lips formed into a sympathetic smile._

_"Oh, dear, that won't happen. Bella loves you. I've waited nearly a century for this happy occasion. You and Bella are meant to be."_

_Thankfully, my words soothed him and he calmed, the doubt in his eyes disappeared._

_"How do I look?" he asked almost shyly._

_I smiled endearingly. I couldn't believe that my normally controlled son needed my reassurance right now._

_"You look handsome, baby."_

_"Handsome enough to be Bella's?" he asked self-consciously._

_"Handsome enough to be Bella's," I replied confidently, not missing a beat. "I've got to go, dear. I'll see in a couple of minutes. And just remember: You deserve this. You deserve her. I don't want to hear any of that 'monster' talk today, okay?" I added, before placing a quick kiss to his cheek. He nodded once and returned the gesture with a kiss to my forehead._

_As I walked back to the house, where the rest of the girls were busy getting ready, I heard Bella's heart thumping too fast to be considered healthy. I shook my head. I thought Edward was nervous; it looks like both my children needed me._

_Why couldn't they see that there was no reason for them to be nervous? That they were meant to be?_

_This wedding only made it official._

**-xXx-**

Of course, once Edward and Bella were married things did get easier. Edward was no longer questioning that Bella wanted him; she'd proven it with the vows she made on their wedding day.

The road to that day still had its challenges. There was the issue of Bella's change and appeasing the Volturi. Although Edward tried to deny it, I knew that he wanted Bella to be changed, to keep her forever with him. We all knew that Edward could be moody and impulsive at times and where Bella was concerned, he was a lovesick over thinker. Especially when it came to her health and well-being.

It had taken my newest daughter a long time to break through Edward's hardened shell and stubborn beliefs. She had many years of dealing with pent up frustration and broodiness under her belt.

After all, Rome was certainly not built in a day.

One of the primary disagreements prior to their marriage, aside from when Bella would be changed, was their intimacy. While I Edward wanted to make love to Bella, he was so worried for her safety. However, Bella couldn't see it that way; she only saw rejection.

My poor children, always misinterpreting things.

Needless to say, I was thankful when Edward finally talked to Carlisle about vampire and human relations. He summoned the courage to finally accept the idea of Bella and him consummating their love.

I smiled as the memory of him calling me during their honeymoon, over the moon about their night.

…

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

_I dropped my paintbrush, brushed my hair back and looked down at the screen. I almost squealed in delight as I saw Edward's name appear on my Caller I.D. pleased that they found the time to check in. I noted the time and assumed that Bella was probably sleeping by now. I took a deep breath to compose myself before answering._

_"Hello dear. How is it going? Did Bella like the island?"_

_I heard him chuckle on the other line._

_"Yes, Esme, she loved it. Thank you again for letting us stay here. It's beautiful…she's beautiful," he said reverently, his voice taking on a softer tone as he said the last part._

_I smiled. My century old son was finally settled down with his love. Away on a honeymoon. Doing things that his old prudish self wouldn't have even thought of doing._

_"So…How was the…er, loving part? Were you gentle? Carlisle warned you to not go too har-" I teased. Before I could finish, he cut me off._

_"Yes! Oh God, yes, mother but please for the love of all that is holy, don't finish that sentence. It's just…not right," he whispered._

_I let out a small laugh._

_"I'm just messing with you son. But seriously, how was it?"_

_He sighed deeply._

_"It was amazing…she was – is – amazing. It was the best night of my existence," he said softly._

_I heard some rustling in the background, and guessed that he adjusted the blankets around his wife, before the sound of lips touching skin. I knew that Edward loved watching Bella sleep; I wrapped up our conversation and said, "Well I have to go now, dear. Have fun. We miss you."_

_"Okay, we'll see you when we return. Say hello to everyone for us," he said before hanging up._

_I returned to my painting and tried to recall how bright the their eyes were when they stood, for the very first time, in front of the crowd as a married couple. My paintbrush stroked the paper, bringing my two children to life. Even with the most pointed brush, with the most colorful colors, and my experience, my picture didn't do them justice. The love that was palpable during their wedding day was only barely represented in the picture._

_Oh well. A painting was secondary to what I, and the rest of Forks, experienced._

**-xXx-**

Edward's happy phone call was a stark contrast to the pain I saw when he met us at the airport upon their return.

When they had left for Brazil, the love around them was obvious, but when they came back, Edward's tight smile and Bella's anxious face alerted us that something major had happened.

Their announcement was major and completely took everyone by surprise.

…

_"Is everyone ready? Their flight is due in less than half an hour and I'd really like to get there on time," I said as I fastened my earrings. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I turned around to see my husband's handsome face smiling down on me._

_He kissed my cheek._

_"Yes, darling, everyone is ready. I already have the car running with Alice seated inside, and Rose is almost done getting ready."_

_I nodded. Jasper decided to stay behind, the stifling smell of humans in the airport, combined with their nervousness sweat might prove too great a temptation. Emmett stayed behind to keep his brother company, both planning to hunt while we were gone._

_We headed out the door as Rose joined us. I was excited to see Bella and Edward after nearly three weeks._

_I craned my neck to see past the others around me who were all diligently waiting for their loved ones to step out of the airplane's tube. I saw a flash of pale skin and bronze hair with his slightly tanned beauty of a wife at his side. I fidgeted excitedly, failing to notice, at first, how stressed they looked. Surely their flight wasn't that bad, they were sitting First Class for God's sake. I took in how Edward's hair was more unruly than usual and how hard Bella was biting her lip. Just as I opened my arms to greet them, Bella headed toward Rosalie and pulled her to the side whispering urgently._

_I'm sure my expression conveyed my confusion as Edward stood in front of us, shoulders tensed with his hands buried in his hair. I walked over to him and hugged him tight._

_"Is something wrong, son?"_

_Suddenly, his shoulders started quaking. I listened intently trying to decipher his incoherent mumbling._

_"She's pregnant."_

_I pulled back from our embrace._

_"What? Who's pregnant?" I asked._

_He shook his head sadly and replied simply, "Bella."_

_"Wha-? How is that possible? Did she…cheat on yo-" I asked, knowing that it couldn't be the case but asking anyway. I was in shock._

_He shook his head and went back to pulling on his hair._

_"No, she's pregnant with my baby…or monster," he said through gritted teeth._

_"What do you mean, son? I don't think that is even remotely possible," my husband broke in. We'd never heard of such a thing happening, ever._

_Edward looked at him, anguish in his eyes._

_"Exactly, that's what I thought so too. But then Bella said that vampi-"_

_"How about we talk about this later, at the house. There's too many people and I'd really like to hear your explanation," Alice piped in._

_Everyone agreed and we headed back to the car, Rose and Bella walking ahead of us their hands linked together. It didn't surprise me at all that Bella went to her. Out of all us, Rose was the most vocal about her regret of never being able to conceive._

_I looked at Edward who was too busy glaring at Rosalie. I guess he didn't care much for Rosalie's thoughts. What didn't surprise me was that Edward was against Bella going through with the pregnancy. I may not know all the technological terms but I did know Edward. He wouldn't be this torn apart unless his wife's health, or possibly her life, was at stake. As I took in his determined expression and the thinness of his lips, I knew my son enough, this is the one thing that he wouldn't budge on._

_Upon our return from the airport, Emmett had been disappointed that it hadn't been a happy reunion. I knew that he was looking forward to seeing his new sister and now "defiled" brother – his words not mine._

_Instead, what he, and Jasper, met were five very somber vampires and one anxious human whose thumping heart alerted them there was a serious problem. After apprising them of the situation we were all conjugated in the dining table, it's only purpose being for family meetings._

_"Okay, son, now tell us exactly what happened," Carlisle said from his seat at the head of the table._

_All eyes turned toward Edward, sitting next him, their hands clasped together, was Bella; while Rose sat on Bella's right. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward wince ever so slightly at the sight of the expensive piece of wood. We were now in the same position as we were nearly a year and a half ago, when Edward called the entire family to announce that we were leaving Forks to ensure Bella's safety._

_Why was everything and everyone against Bella and Edward?_

_Out of the many couples I knew, they were the two who deserved a break._

_"I don't exactly have to tell you everything. I think we all know how a baby is conceived," Edward answered, as Bella blushed a deep red next to him._

_Emmett let out a guffaw but stifled it immediately as he saw Carlisle's not too pleased reaction. Thankfully, Carlisle didn't miss a beat. He was in his doctor mode now, strictly business._

_"I'm sorry, you're right. However, at the airport, you were going to tell us about a theory on how, and why this happened, in your case?" he pushed gently._

_Edward nodded before gesturing for Bella to speak. She turned a deeper shade of red but explained nonetheless, "Well, when I figured out that I was…pregnant," Edward flinched at the word, but Bella just continued on, "thoughts of Tanya and her sisters came to mind. I realized that while they may be intimate with humans, they were never able to conceive because they were always with human males."_

_For once, my wonderful husband looked was stumped._

_"What difference does that make? How does that relate?"_

_"It explains everything. Edward told me once that while vampire males stay relatively the same after their transformation, female vampires change completely. When you say that you all are 'eternally frozen', when it comes to female vampires, it literally applies to them," she explained slowly._

_"Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?" Alice asked a bit impatiently._

_Bella turned to her._

_"Do me a favor and answer me, Al. When you turned into vampire, did you still get your period?"_

_Alice confusedly shook her head._

_"See? That's what I'm trying to say. When women are turned into vampires, their whole reproductive system is frozen as well. Male vampires still...well, they can still...um...ejaculate."_

_Everyone was quiet for a second, no doubt letting what she said sink in._

_Carlisle was the first to speak._

_"Well that is a good theory. Simple and obvious and it makes sense! Why didn't I think of that?"_

_Edward who was sitting quietly interjected, "The same reasons why I hadn't either. Because this wasn't supposed to happen. Bella is now carrying a monster inside her all because of my thoughtlessness."_

_Bella sighed exasperatedly at her husband. Her hand reaching up to gently still his hand from continuing to pull at his hair._

_"Edward, what did I tell you? I know how dangerous it is, but don't you want this? A child that is half you and half me? A baby created out of our lov-"_

_Bella wasn't able to finish her sentence as Edward suddenly sprang up from his chair and started pacing._

_"Bella, love, how many times do I have to tell you? That monster," he jabbed a finger at Bella's slightly rounder stomach, "will kill you. I just…I can't…no…" he muttered almost incoherently before dashing up to his room. The sound of slamming door brought the salty smell of tears to the air. I walked over to Bella and hugged her. "Oh, dear, you know he doesn't mean that. He's just about losing you."_

_She inhaled a shaky breath as she sniffled quietly. Emmett let out a growl at the sight of his newest sister crying. All eyes turned to him as he explained, "I can't believe Eddie boy is already fighting with his wife, not even a month after their wedding!"_

_"No, Em, don't be mad at him. Maybe…maybe he just doesn't want a…baby with me," she said in a small voice._

_Immediately, protests erupted from the whole family. I heard Edward's breath hitch upstairs as he heard his wife's words. Jasper, sensing Bella's overwhelmed emotions, ushered everyone out of the room so I could comfort her._

_I stroked her hair. "Oh, Bella, dear he loves you. He is frightened of losing you. We have no idea what is happening to you or what is going to happen to you, your body or the baby."_

_She didn't have any fight left in her. She looked exhausted as her eyes drooped slightly. I saw the purple shadows under eyes. There must have been more than a few sleepless nights spent arguing; she needed to rest._

_"Come on, dear, I think you should lie down. Why don't you go take a nap in Alice and Jasper's room? I'll go talk to Edward."_

_She agreed tiredly before climbing the stairs. She eyed the third floor longingly, her eyes getting watery again, before she determinedly headed towards Alice's room._

_I tucked her in the huge bed. Before I flicked off the lights, she was already out. I sighed and prepared myself to talk to my most stubborn son, especially where his wife was concerned._

_…_

_Not even bothering to knock, I let myself in._

_"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, what were you thinking?" I demanded, my hands resting on my hips as I stared him down._

_He flinched reflexively as he heard me say his full name before clenching his jaw. He stood up from the golden bed situated in the middle of his room and crossed his arms over his chest before defiantly jutting out his chin._

_"I was only looking out of Bella's safety! I don't think she even grasps the idea that this pregnancy, if you can even call it that! Could kill her! It can take her away from me! After everything we've overcome, it'll be all for nothing! NOTHING! And for what?! That baby? That monster? I can't lose her…not for that…not for anything else."_

_His words losing steam as he voice his terror._

_All the anger I felt over his earlier behavior immediately melted. His worst fear: losing Bella._

_He plopped back down on the bed, rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes._

_"I know she wants this, Esme, I do too. You have no idea how much I want to father a child with her. But in exchange for her life? I don't think so."_

_I held him, much like with Bella a couple of minutes ago. He must have read my thoughts, how haggard his wife looked, as he released another sigh._

_"I know I hurt her, but I don't think I could've gotten the message across any other way. But Esme, this is Bella we are talking about. I don't think she has any self-preserving bone in her body! She loves everything that could potentially hurt her. She's not really the best judge on what's safe and what isn't."_

_"Wasn't that handy when she chose you? Even though she knew how dangerous you were, weren't you glad that she wasn't like every other human, and shied away from us?"_

_He was quiet for a minute before he muttered, "Yes."_

_"And Edward don't you think she should be the judge of that? Please don't tell me that you are willing to make the same mistake twice? After last fall," we both let out a simultaneous wince before I continued, "Do you still think that it's okay for you to be making decisions that also affects her? And now it's even more important because you're married now. You're not just dating anymore; you're her husband and she's your wife."_

_"But what if I lose her? I just can't, Esme, not after everything we've gone through."_

_I rubbed his shoulders. "You won't, darling. I've never met a more determined and brave human being like Bella. She may only be a 110 pounds but that girl can take on anything!"_

_He cracked a smile before it faltered as he thought of something, and said, "But what if it's not worth it? What if the mon-…baby is too much like me? It'd kill her."_

_I pushed back some of his hair that fell over his eyes. "Oh, dear, didn't you listen to Bella? That baby is half you and half her. We may not know how things will turn out but what I'm sure of is that he or she will be loved."_

_He was quiet for a moment, a wistful look on his face. He looked up at me sheepishly, and said, "I don't think I'd make a very good dad though."_

_I let out a small snort. Never in a million years did I ever expect to be giving this kind of speech to a vampire. "Well being a parent is just one of those things comes naturally. You and Bella are so full of love for each other that your child will be blessed already. Not to mention all the aunts and uncles that will shower this young one with so much affection. Your baby will want for nothing."_

_He let out a small chuckle as he mouthed, "my baby," as if just getting used to that concept. I didn't blame him. I could imagined how hard it was to live your whole existence believing that you could never be a father and weeks in your marriage, you're suddenly surprised to discover that your wife is pregnant. Like I said, unexpected._

_We laid on the bed for a couple of minutes, enjoying our mother and son moment, that we so rarely have time for these days. I mentally counted down the minutes before he would get up and go to his wife. Not even a minute later, he was already kissing my cheek in gratitude as he headed over to Alice and Jasper's room._

_I heard the door quietly close and then whispering. I tuned out there voices, giving their conversation the privacy it deserved. I smiled, pleased, at the tell tale sound of a kiss._

_This issue was far from resolved, but I knew that Bella would never let my son revert back to his old "moody" and "broody" ways. Emmett and Jasper would never let their brother escape with his head on his shoulders after making their sister cry. Alice and Rosalie would make sure to leave a few good marks as well. Carlisle and I would sooner eat human food for fun that let our newest daughter and our oldest son ever let a day pass without settling their issues._

**-xXx-**

September 2, 2010 my granddaughter, Renesmee Carlie Cullen was born. I've never seen the house more alive than her birth day. Emmett couldn't and wouldn't shut up while his wife was too busy to reprimand him because she was having too much fun loving her niece.

Alice was already purchasing the most expensive baby clothes online while fretting over any allergies her niece may possibly have of any kind of cloth and felt. Her husband didn't even let his bloodlust, not that Nessie ever smelled tempting to us, get in the way. Gone was the shy southern gentleman and was replaced by a surprisingly playful uncle who was already giving his one-day old niece a cowboy ride on his knee.

My husband was completely over the moon about being a grandfather. After inspecting his granddaughter thoroughly, he immediately dropped the doctor act and doted on her with love and affection.

Edward, on the other hand, may have been happy but he was still worried sick over his Bella. He refused to leave her side. Renesmee's birth, and immediately changing Bella, had been complete chaos. Carlisle hadn't been there to assist; we heard later that the birth had been frighteningly like an ER moment.

One minute Edward was trying to perform a c-section, the next was forced to bite his daughter out of her mother's womb, before thrusting the baby into Rose's waiting arms. He the turned all his focus on saving Bella's.

Needless to say, Edward was completely unprepared at how life-changing it felt to finally meet your own child.

…

_"Who's a good baby? Yes you are…" Alice said in the tone people usually use for their dogs and young people as she held her niece. It was surprising to see her hold Nessie knowing that it wouldn't be long before her niece outgrew her. But again, it didn't look that weird, just as long as Alice was sitting down or wearing her tall heels._

_I walked over to Alice and tapped her shoulder. She looked up distractedly as she fixed the dainty clip that held what little hair Nessie had. I smiled a little. In her teenage years, Alice would be more of the sisterly kind of aunt to Nessie, while Rose would be the stricter one._

_"Don't you think Edward, her father, should have his time with her now? You and Rose have been hogging her lately," I asked._

_She looked at me before looking down at the small sleeping baby in her arms. She pouted as she handed Nessie over to me and sang, "Fine, but afterwards, I get her."_

_"She is not a toy you get to claim, Alice."_

_She giggled as she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow._

_"Sure...you just want her to yourself. Come on Gramma, admit it."_

_I cracked a smile before holding Ness securely to me as we climbed the stairs toward her dad and mom. I opened the door that led to Edward's old room and peeked in. Without even turning around, he said, "Come in, Esme."_

_I pushed the door open and walked over to him. I kissed my son's forehead and asked, "Any signs yet?"_

_He let out a sigh before disappointedly shaking his head, and replied, "Still nothing. She's so still, Mom, maybe…maybe I was too late."_

_"Oh, dear, I know you don't believe that. Listen to that. Her heart is stronger than when Emmett was turning. She'll wake up soon, you'll see," I encouraged, gently nudging his shoulder, "I know you haven't had a chance with your daughter yet, with everyone hogging her and all."_

_He let out a small chuckle._

_"I seem to recall you being one of those people who 'hogged her'," he quoted before crossing his arms to fit Nessie in comfortably. The sight of him stroking her downy hair spoke to my sentimental side. How he ever thought he wouldn't make a good dad was beyond me?_

_Edward unfastened the little clip, tossing it aside, so he could stroke her tiny head and the little pieces of hair that sat on top of it. He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead._

_I kissed his cheek and then left the room to give them privacy. Before the door clicked shut, I heard him say in the most tenderest voice I've ever heard him use, except when talking to Bella, "Meet your Mommy, baby."_

**-xXx-**

And now nearly two and a half years later, I still couldn't believe I had a granddaughter. However, this was Bella and Edward; all too soon another obstacle came their way.

The issue of Edward's mysterious past and Riley.

As I sat in his room, looking at their photo, I couldn't help but sniffle a bit at the idea that Edward thought Bella might divorce him.

Yes, this whole North Carolina issue may have been a complete surprise, but I did know that Bella would never leave Edward over something they hadn't fully discussed, yet.

But still, Edward's phone call to me after telling Bella the news nearly broke my heart.

…

_Ring. Ring._

_"Hello, how may I he-"I started, my greeting cut off when I heard Edward's agonized voice at the end of the phone line._

_"Mom, she knows. I told her…why did I tell her?! She's going to divorce me. I just know it. She's going to take Nessie from me. And then I'm going to be all alone," he said almost to himself._

_"Edward? Edward, dear, just calm down…breathe," I said in what I hoped to be a soothing tone. Apparently, my calm reaction was the complete opposite of his._

_"How can I be calm at a situation like this?! Knowing that today could've been the last day of my marriage? That today was the final day to be a happy family with my two girls?" he nearly hissed._

_"Oh, baby boy, I wish I could give you a hug right now but don't worry, you and Bella will get through this. Together. She won't divorce you, sweetheart, and she most certainly will not take Nessie from you. Now just relax and tell me how and what you told her."_

_He sighed._

_"I just told her that I had a child. 'Bella, Anthony Collins is my son.' That's what I said," he groaned, berating himself over and over, "That was probably the most stupidest line to start it out. Stupid vampire…she's going to divorce me, just watch…"_

_I shushed him once more, "Dear, at least you told her the truth. She'll come around, you'll see."_

_I knew that right now, wherever he was, he was shaking his head. "But, Esme, you didn't see her face. God this is all my fault! I knew that I never deserved her, I never deserved both her and Ness. What have I done?" he cried._

_"Shh, it's okay, son. You will get past this together. No one's leaving no one. Don't you have faith in your love?"_

_"Yes…but what if this messed it all up? What if she won't love me anymore? What if-"_

_Before he could ask another question, there was a beep. He muttered a brief, "hold on," before my call was put on hold. Not even a second later, he came back and let out an excited whoop._

_"She texted me! Bella said she wants to meet me!" he said excitedly before he stopped mid sentence and added, "Oh no, what if she already has the divorce papers signed and ready to go? What if she's going to talk to me to tell me that it's all over."_

_"Edward! Dear, you're just stressing yourself out. Stop fretting and just go to her! And remember: just be as honest as you can."_

_He let out a shaky breath, and said, "Okay. Sorry and thanks for putting up with me. I know I'm a little…flustered right now."_

_I let out a small giggle. Biggest understatement of the century. I said, "It's okay, son, just fix this issue as soon as possible, okay?"_

_He muttered a reply before hanging up to meet Bella. Honestly, will that boy never get it?_

_He and Bella belonged together, forever._

**-xXx-**

As I was tidying up the already clean room, I heard a voice call for me downstairs.

"Esme, darling, where are you?"

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was way past Carlisle's work time.

He met me at the narrow hallway of the third floor, no doubt knowing whose room I was just in. He pulled me to him and released a sigh. I knew, just knew, that our thoughts were alike concerning the issue that my two children and grandchild were now facing hundreds of miles away from us. Bella's humanity, Jacob, Victoria, Bella and Edward's wedding night, Bella's unexpected pregnancy, this new issue was only another obstacle that came their way. They would work through this new hurdle, just like they did for everything else that threatened to tear them apart.

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**Beta-ed**** by Random Loves**

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**A/N: I wasn't originally planning on doing flashbacks in Esme's point of view. I hope you liked seeing the most major events that happened to Edward and Bella in Esme's perspective.**


	12. Back at the Orphanage

**Beta'd by: Random Loves**

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**Chapter 12: Back at the Orphanage**

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**(BPOV)**

"Are you sure you're okay doing it on your own? I'm sorry that I can't be much help," I said apologetically to my husband. He was busy unloading all the cameras from the trunk.

He faced me and with a roll of his eyes, replied exasperatedly, "Yes, love, I have it all under control."

I smiled sheepishly at him. I just wanted everything to go according to plan. The sooner we got rid of Bertha, the faster everything would fall into place.

He ran the back of his hand against my cheek before ushering the four of us back towards the orphanage, while he stayed outside. It was up to us ladies' to distract Bertha long enough, that my wonderful husband had enough time to install the video cameras, without notice.

Thankfully, Bridgette already had a distraction in mind. She opened the door with her key and we shook off the slight mist from our jackets. She pressed a finger to her lips and turned to us and whispered urgently, "Follow along and pretend like you're both very interested. Keep asking questions to derail her. She is easily annoyed when asked too many questions. Too cool off, she'll head out to bingo early."

"How long does she usually take to "cool off'?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer. How she managed to go unreported for abuse of power, or towards the children, I would never know?

"Almost every other afternoon."

My mouth hung open. Bertha didn't deserve her position; the wonderful young lady in front of me did. I quickly picked my jaw up off the floor as I heard the old lady's distinct footsteps. Noting that her mutterings grew louder as she came across little kids.

Bertha spotted us at the entrance, took one glance at Ness and I, and immediately tried to plaster on a sincere smile. The keyword there being "tried."

"Hello, welcome back! I'm sorry you all had to leave due to the those ann-I mean angelic children. Would you like to look around?" she said in a false sweet voice.

I sensed our opening and took it as I nodded eagerly, and said, "Yes, we actually wanted to see more of the orphanage. I've only been from the reception room to your office with barely a glance at the kitchen and the children's rooms. Would you mind giving us a proper tour?"

I could tell by her expression that she didn't want to take us anywhere, but what else could she do?

Bertha gazed longingly at her office before sighing quietly, before leading us over to the small hallway. She pointed out their small kitchen, if you could call it a "kitchen". Honestly, Esme would have a heart attack if she saw such a thing. The tiles were caked in dirt, and the grout coated in grim. The old electric stove needed replacing and the lone oven, from the look of it, it was barely hanging on. The curtains were thin and unappealing. The pans were piled on the countertop because the cabinets were too small to store them. Most of the drawers weren't properly closed and the paint was chipped. I noticed a nail sticking out the side of one of the draws and immediately thought of the children. This room was a hazard. What if one of them accidentally hurt themselves?

I could smell the nasty scent of day old garbage. I looked at Bridgette and from her slightly disgusted face, I knew that I wasn't the only one that noticed. However, Bertha, from the look of it, was completely immune to the pungent odor.

I stared at the sink cabinet, listening to the quiet patter of water splashing into plastic. I wondered if Bertha knew about the leak, but refused to spend the money or time to fix it. The outward appearance was so bad; I wondered if the pantry and the fridge were any better?

One look and I knew it was worse. There was no fresh produce to be found, only a half over-ripe banana. How did these kids stay healthy?

The fridge contained only a pitcher of water. In the pantry, there were a few containers of Cup-o-noodles and a packet of stale crackers.

I shook my head sadly. While Renee earned a small substitute teacher's salary, there was never a day where I was hungry and had no food to eat. These poor children. There was nothing worse than being sent to bed on an empty stomach.

I recalled Riley "having a tummy ache." I knew that it was because of a lack of a fulfilling meal. I mentally added fresh groceries to the ever-growing checklist of things that we needed to take care of before we left.

Moving on from the kitchen, we headed towards the playroom. It certainly didn't live up to it's name. The room was small and the toys were old. Only a few dolls and stuffed animals could be seen; the doll's hair now matted in dirt and one of the teddy bears was missing an ear. There were piles of newspaper and broken crayons lying on the floor. My heart clenched as I thought of all the toys Nessie had, when these children had next to nothing. Even just a few toys, in good repair, were essential for child development.

We dropped by each of the small children's rooms. The rooms were bare except for two sets of bunk beds crammed in each corner with a small wooden table in the middle, a couple of old issues of a kid's magazine on top. The wallpaper was an outdated floral pattern then kind often found in cheap motels. I added "purchase more interesting magazines" to the checklist. By the time we leave, this orphanage would thrive again.

Bertha soon complained that her knee was hurting, and didn't waste another second before heading towards her office. I breathed a sigh of relief. Now I could really get to the bottom of things.

I turned toward Bridgette while running my fingers through my daughter's silky hair. While it was a little wavier than mine, I loved that Ness took after her dad.

"Is there anything else to see?"

She nodded before flushing slightly, and rambled while nervously twisting her hands, "Actually there is. But I'm afraid it's not much…see we didn't really have the funds so it's not that great…"

I laid a palm on her shoulder, thankful she was a wearing a thick sweater so she wouldn't feel my cold skin, and said earnestly, "It doesn't matter. Just show me. You and the other volunteers have done a magnificent job taking care of things despite Bertha stealing your funds and all."

I saw Bridgette blink back tears as she led the way to the entrance that led to a backyard. It was bigger than I anticipated but it looked…dead. Literally and figuratively. I could see that they had a small garden area that had seen better days. The rest of the backyard looked blank though it looked like someone was trying to take care, the leaves had been raked up.

Bridgette turned to me and smiled sheepishly.

"So this is our garden slash backyard. I've been asking Ms. Bertha for some extra money to buy seeds to grow our own fruits and vegetables but she refused. Said it was a 'waste of time and money'," she explained with a frown.

"Having your own garden is most certainly not a waste of time nor money. My mother-in-law loves to garden and we all benefit from it. In fact, growing your own produce is a very sensible investment."

She looked up at me hopeful, and asked, "Really?"

"Of course. Growing your own produce saves money and helps the environment. However, the most important reason to grow your own garden is for the children."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "What do you mean 'for the children'?"

I smiled softly while my thoughts drifted to my little one. I asked in reply, "Answer me this, Bridgette, do the children eat vegetables?"

She shrugged confusedly, and responded, "Yes and no. Unlike other children, the kids here don't really have a choice. It's either eat vegetables or sleep with an empty stomach."

My smile faltered as I heard her words, recalling the dismal state of that kitchen. In what world was it right to starve innocent children to starve send them to bed hungry?

"If there is anything I learned in motherhood, it's that children will only eat vegetables and certain fruits when they either know where it comes from or if they had a hand in growing it themselves."

I waited for my statement to sink in, and quickly her eyes lit up with realization. She started, "So what you're saying is that if they help plant the food, they'll-"

"-most likely eat it," I finished. Next thing I knew, she threw her fragile arms around my neck and hugged me, careful not to bump Nessie.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I can't believe I didn't think of that…I've been surrounded by children for so long, I don't know how…" she trailed off as she thanked me.

I laughed quietly as I put as little squeeze into the hug.

"It's fine. The important thing is that you realize it now. The question is: are you going to revitalize this garden of yours?"

She nodded enthusiastically as she looked around the almost bare crate.

"We'll try," she said hesitantly, "But I don't know how we're going to make it happen. Ms. Bertha was right about one thing, it's going to take time and money to successfully start a garden and maintain it. Time we have but the funds to start…I'm not too sure."

I patted her back reassuringly, and said, "Don't worry, we'll help you."

"How? You can't possibly buy us all the equipment we need! And if we do get more money, I think this garden wouldn't be the first thing on the list. The children's rooms, playroom, study room, new books, the kitchen, there's so many other things that need to be done first. And the garden shouldn't be my pri-" she rattled off before I cut her.

"Bridgette," I said with my most soothing voice, "We want to help but even we can't purchase everything!"

It wasn't true. We could easily cover the cost of repairs, and needs. It would hardly make a dent to the Cullen fortune, but we needed to keep a fairly low profile. Nothing screams suspicious more than a young couple who seemed to have a bottomless bank account. It would be too conspicuous for us to purchase everything.

Her shoulders sagged.

"What? Then how are you going to help us? Not that you haven't done so much already. You guys have helped us more than you can imagine," she reassured hastily.

"Well if it's okay, we were planning on doing a few small things. We already discussed about turning in Bertha to the committee so that will automatically stop her thievery of the community donation money. And Edward and I thought that we could throw a bake sale right here in the orphanage to earn extra money," I offered hesitantly. Bridgette was practically the supervisor and I knew that she felt somewhat responsible for how things had turned out under the old bat's ruling.

Her face was blank for a couple of seconds before her lips erupted into a huge grin, and said excitedly, "Really?! That's a great idea! Our community might not be rich but its citizens are loyal and genuinely care for each other. Everyone would love to come to a bake sale."

I chuckled softly at her enthusiasm and asked, "So it's safe to say you approve?"

"Absolutely! When did you want to have it? Were you planning to bake or were you going to buy it from the store? I know how to bake so I can definitely help out."

"Store-bought?" I scoffed teasingly, "What kind of a bake sale is that? The point is to have homemade baked goods."

She smiled lightly before shrugging her shoulders, and replied, "Okay so now we know that it won't be store bought. Do you have any idea when you want to have it?"

"We'll start it tomorrow late morning up to late afternoon. We can even set up a lemonade stand. The children can help bake or make lemonade. Of course since the kitchen won't be much use, we'll just have to buy new materials or use someone else's oven," I said as the idea popped into my head.

"I like lemonade, Mommy," my daughter piped in a tiny voice. Both Bridgette and I looked down at her. She blushed a deep rose color, and added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interapt. Daddy told me it's bad to jump in adult conversations."

Bridgette laughed in response to Nessie's apology, and said, "Not to worry, little darling, your mommy and I were just talking about some of you, and your daddy's, great ideas. Would you like to help us bake or make lemonade?"

Nessie let go of my hand and hid behind my right leg as she gazed up at Bridgette, and replied almost shyly, "Both please."

My phone vibrated in my pocket and knew it was Edward's signal that he was done installing the cameras. I kneeled down and picked up Nessie to carried her in my arms. I kissed her rosy cheek.

"Of course you can help, baby," I said and then turned to Bridgette, "Edward just finished his job. We should probably meet him."

She agreed as she stole another glance at the garden, no doubt memorizing how it looked now. I met her eye and she thanked me again, "Thank you. I can't say it enough! I'm so excited for the sale and the lemonade stand. Would it be okay if I called in some of the volunteers to help out tomorrow?"

"Of course, we are going to need all the help we can get to pull this off with less than a day's notice."

We walked back toward the front entrance and I spotted my wonderful husband waiting for us. Catching sight of us, he walked towards us pulling me and Nessie to his chest in a hug. Edward pressed a kiss on top both of our foreheads. Leaving us to our family moment, Bridgette muttered a quiet, "be right back."

He pulled away and smiled down at us. Nessie stretched her short arms toward her dad with a small pout on her face, her silent request to be held by her daddy. Once she was safely encased in his arms, I looked around the room. Even with my advanced eye-sight I couldn't spot the cameras.

"Did the installation go well?" I asked. He nodded as I kissed him on the lips in gratitude. Our lips stayed locked together for a couple of minutes, thanks to our ability to survive without breathing. We were only interrupted as our daughter exaggeratedly covered her eyes with her hands, and cried out, "Ew, kissy faces."

I felt Edward's lips turn up into a smile before he pulled away. I caught sight of his smug expression, no doubt seeing how dazed I still looked. We turned towards our daughter who still had her eyes covered. We pried her small hands away and kissed each cheek. We stood there quietly for a few minutes before heading to the kitchen.

I saw Bridgette and another woman, who was slightly older, rummaging through the fridge and the pantry. I cleared my throat, and both ladies turned to the sound. Bridgette hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron, and said. "I forgot to introduce you to Jen. Jen, these are the Cullens, Bella, Edward and Nessie. This is Jen, another one of the volunteers."

Jen smiled hesitantly at us but extended her hand. We shook hands before my gaze turned back towards Bridgette.

"We were just getting started on dinner," she explained.

I glanced at the clock and realized that it was nearly seven o'clock. I looked out the window and saw that the sun had set. Where had all the time gone? That was fast…

"Oh, we're so sorry. Would you like some help? I was planning on stopping by the grocery store to buy food and then come back to cook for the children, but I didn't realize how late it was…"

I knew their fridge and pantry was empty from when I looked at it a while ago. What were they planning to serve the children?

My question was thankfully answered as Bridgette waved a hand at us and explained, "That's very kind of you. But twice a week, every Monday and Thursday, we get food that the town either collected or Jen," she pointed a thumb towards her friend, "brings in food with however much donation money Ms. Bertha leaves. But thank you for the offer!"

"I love cooking," I stated, noticing Edward slight smirk in my peripheral vision. I tilted my head in his direction and he took the coward's way out by hiding his smile behind Nessie's hair. I struggled not to roll my eyes at him as I continued my conversation with Bridgette, "So we can't help with the cooking…do you need a hand in helping serve the dinner to the children?"

I was hoping that she'd say yes. Any chance with Riley and the kids, I would take. I watched them exchange looks.

"I'm really sorry, but we got this. You all should go back to the hotel. You've been here for nearly half the day. I'm sure you and the little one needs some rest for the bake sale tomorrow!"

Edward gave me a questioning glance and I whispered, under my breath so no one besides him would hear, "later."

We left them to their cooking and headed for the door. I let go of Edward's hand as he passed a sleeping Nessie to me. Looks like Bridgette was right. My poor daughter was fast asleep as she snored quietly. I pushed the car seat to the side and hugged Nessie to my chest before climbing into the backseat, her tiny head on my lap.

I looked up at Edward, who was gazing at us, and asked, "Mind if I sit here?"

He smiled, closed the door softly, and then made his way toward the driver's seat. I stole one more glance at the orphanage and vowed to myself that we would do everything to improve it. We would start with the earnings from the bake sale and lemonade stand tomorrow.

First, a stop at the grocery store was in order. I have a night of preparing for tomorrow ahead of me. Good thing I no longer needed sleep.


End file.
